Buddy Unleashes at Comic Con with Exclusive First Look and Panel
- More Horror
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Roadside Attractions is bringing BUDDY to San Diego Comic-Con with a packed Friday schedule built around screenings, a filmmaker intro, a panel, a press line, and a live appearance from the film’s orange unicorn star.
The distributor will release BUDDY in theaters on August 28, 2026. Ahead of that release, Comic-Con attendees and press will get an early look at the film on Friday, July 24, including an exclusive extended first look with members of the creative team and cast.
The Comic-Con push follows the rollout of Teaser 2, setting up Buddy as “Everyone’s Favorite Orange Unicorn” and placing the film squarely in the offbeat, genre-bending territory associated with director and co-writer Casper Kelly.
BUDDY starts the day with breakfast and screenings
The first event of the day is an invited SDCC breakfast and screening at Digital Gym in San Diego.
Two screening blocks are scheduled, with each beginning with Breakfast with Buddy and an introduction from director and co-writer Casper Kelly before the film begins.
Event | Time | Details |
Screening 1 | 9:00 AM | Breakfast with Buddy, followed by an intro with Casper Kelly |
Screening 1 begins | 10:00 AM | Screening starts |
Screening 2 | 11:15 AM | Breakfast with Buddy, followed by an intro with Casper Kelly |
Screening 2 begins | 12:00 PM | Screening starts |
The screenings will take place at Digital Gym, 1100 Market St., San Diego, CA 92101.
Press attendance requires an RSVP request, and the invitation notes that an RSVP is not a confirmation. Confirmed access should be verified through the film’s publicity representatives.
The Comic-Con panel brings Buddy to Ballroom 20
Later in the day, BUDDY heads to the San Diego Convention Center for a dedicated Comic-Con panel.
The panel, titled “Buddy, Everyone’s Favorite Orange Unicorn, from the Deranged Mind of Casper Kelly,” is scheduled for 1:45 PM to 2:45 PM on Friday, July 24, in Ballroom 20 at the San Diego Convention Center.
Scheduled participants include:
Casper Kelly
Director and co-writer
Delaney Quinn
Star
Raphael Margules and J.D. Lifshitz
Producers
Devon Ludlow
Lead puppeteer
Buddy
Special appearance
The panel positions the film as one of the day’s stranger and more personality-driven Comic-Con offerings. With Kelly, the producers, the lead puppeteer, and Buddy all expected to appear, the session should give fans and press a clearer sense of the film’s tone, puppet work, and story world.
The afternoon continues with the BUDDY press line
After the panel, the team will move to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront for the official BUDDY press line.
Press check-in begins at 3:00 PM, and the carpet opens at 3:30 PM. The press line will be held in Aqua Salon C at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, located at 1 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101.
Expected participants include Casper Kelly, Delaney Quinn, producers Raphael Margules and J.D. Lifshitz, lead puppeteer Devon Ludlow, and Buddy.
For outlets covering genre film, midnight movie culture, puppetry, or the more surreal side of Comic-Con programming, the press line offers direct access to the creative team before the film’s 2026 theatrical release.
What comes next for BUDDY
The Comic-Con rollout gives BUDDY a full-day presence in San Diego, starting with morning screenings and ending with press availability after the main panel. That schedule suggests Roadside Attractions is introducing the film with a focus on personality, practical performance, and the oddball appeal of Buddy himself.
With a theatrical release set for August 28, 2026, this Comic-Con first look will likely shape the earliest conversation around the film. For now, the key draw is simple: Casper Kelly is bringing an orange unicorn to Comic-Con, and Buddy is getting a full spotlight.
