I’ve been a big sports fan all my life, so I know leagues are not always quick to adapt. I also know they’re not always well-run. But at this point you’d think they would know you have to make a rule that says dogs can’t play. You just have to. Otherwise you end up with a golden retriever in tiny sneakers dropping dimes. And yet, after almost thirty years and 14 movies, they still haven’t. They. Still. Haven’t.
And that’s how we’re about to get a 15th installment, Air Bud Returns.
Variety reports Cineverse and Air Bud Entertainment are working on another film in a franchise that began in 1997. The latest movie will, somehow, be the series’ 15th installment. If you’re curious how we’ve already had 14 of these films, that’s because 1998’s Air Bud: Golden Receiver, the first sequel, was the last to premiere in theaters. The next 12 were all direct-to-video releases. That includes the Buddies and Santa Paws spinoffs. You know, those movies we all collectively remember and watched a bunch of times
Air Bud Entertaiment founder Robert Vince will write and direct this new film. It’s a dual role he’s very familiar with. He’s already pulled that double duty on ten previous installments. He was also a producer on all of the series’ early films and on Santa Paws. His direct connection to the original Air Bud is especially encouraging. Even if he didn’t write it, he gets to claim partial credit for giving moviegoers one of the most iconic lines in Hollywood history, “Ain’t no rules say the dog can’t play basketball.”
A press release shared by Variety provides a synopsis for the film. It unexpectedly meta.
In Air Bud Returns, 12-year old Jacob has always dreamt of being a star basketball player. After the passing of his father, that dream felt even more impossible. But everything changes when he and his mom move into his dad’s childhood home in Fernfield. There, Jacob discovers an original VHS of the Air Bud movie in his father’s belongings and has a chance meeting of a stray golden retriever he names Buddy. Together they embark on a journey of healing, unite a team of misfits, and chase a championship. Through it all they learn to play from the heart, believe in each other, and always take the shot!
Air Bud Returns will begin production soon in the same place they filmed the original, Fort Langley, British Columbia. It will arrive in theaters next summer in 2026. And it’s all possible because even after 28 years sports leagues still haven’t made a rule about dogs playing.
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Source: Kiat Media
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