The newest installment in the Air Bud franchise is ready to hit the ground running.
Air Bud Returns, which is planning a 2026 theatrical release, will star Aydin Artis (Blue’s Clues & You), Tracy Ifeachor (The Pitt), Edwin Lee Gibson (The Bear), Tyler Labine (New Amsterdam), Erik Gow (Yellowjackets) and Maxim Swinton (Bookie), The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned. Production is currently underway on writer-director Robert Vince’s sports film that continues the legacy of 1997’s original Air Bud.
At the center of the franchise is basketball-playing golden retriever Buddy, portrayed in Air Bud Returns by Roscoe, who was cast by Hollywood animal trainer Mark Forbes. As the result of the movie’s recent contest, “The Search for the Next Air Bud,” golden retrievers Charlie and Summer will double as Buddy in key basketball and stunt sequences. The forthcoming project hails from Cineverse and Air Bud Entertainment.
Air Bud Returns focuses on 12-year-old Jacob (Artis), an aspiring basketball player coping with the recent loss of his dad. After he and his mom (Ifeachor) move to his dad’s childhood home in Fernfield, Jacob discovers a VHS tape of his dad playing basketball on the same court as a hoops-shooting golden retriever. Soon, Jacob begins his own adventure with a neglected golden retriever that he names Buddy.
Standing in for the franchise’s original hometown of Fernfield is Fort Langley, British Columbia, where production recently commenced. Vince helms the new feature after creating the Air Bud franchise and producing all 14 titles in the flagship series and subsequent Air Buddies and Santa Paws spinoff series. Producers on Air Bud Returns include Vince and Anna McRoberts.
“We couldn’t be more excited to officially roll cameras on Air Bud Returns with this incredible cast,” says director and ABE founder Vince. “The passion we saw during the nationwide search for the next Buddy was a reminder of how deeply this franchise resonates with families. With such a talented ensemble alongside our canine stars, this film carries forward the heart and magic that made the original so beloved around the world.”
Air Bud Returns serves as a sequel to director Charles Martin Smith’s film Air Bud, which hit theaters in summer of 1997 and centered on the titular golden retriever joining a high school basketball team. It spawned the 1998 theatrical sequel Air Bud: Golden Receiver.
Adds Cineverse chief motion pictures officer Yolanda Macias, “Announcing our cast and the Golden Retrievers bringing Buddy to life, right as production begins, is the ideal way to mark the return of the Air Bud legacy. This franchise has always connected across generations, and we are excited to see Air Bud Returns continue that family tradition.”