EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions and Saban Films have acquired North American rights to Buddy, the horror film marking the feature directorial debut of Too Many Cooks helmer Casper Kelly, which premiered in the Midnight section of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The film will open exclusively in theaters, in wide release, on September 4.

Produced by BoulderLight Pictures and Low Spark Films, in association with Sipur Studios and Substance, Buddy centers around a humanoid unicorn of the same name — a beloved children’s TV host with a squeaky-clean, Mr. Rogers–style persona that belies his true nature as a dark and violent force of nature. Keegan-Michael Key voices Buddy, with Delaney Quinn playing Freddy, one of the children on the show who begins to fight back against Buddy when he shows his true self, and Cristin Miloti playing Grace, a suburban mother drawn into Buddy’s nightmare world inadvertently.

Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness. The film’s cast also includes Topher Grace, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt, and more.

“BUDDY was everyone’s favorite movie at Sundance because we watched in horror as the familiar became the deranged and comfort food turned to poison,” said Roadside Attraction Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff. “Theatrical audiences are in for a major treat.”

Jonathan Saba and Shanan Becker, co-Presidents of Saban Films, said, “Casper Kelly is one of the most wildly inventive and audacious filmmakers working today, and BUDDY is a testament to his singular genius. He possesses a rare aptitude for taking the wholesome nostalgia of our childhoods and flipping it into a brilliantly unhinged, laugh-out-loud nightmare. We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Roadside to bring Casper’s uniquely twisted vision to audiences nationwide.”

For his part, Kelly said, “It’s an honor to be partnering with Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, two companies that have built reputations for championing bold films. The theatrical experience means so much to me personally, and I made BUDDY to be experienced in a theater. I’m thrilled that audiences will get the chance to see the movie in theaters everywhere.”

Kelly directed Buddy from a script written with Jamie King. Producers included Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, and Tracy Rosenblum, with Kevin Flanigan, Dexter Braff, Roberto Linck, Nathan McAuley, Emilio Schenker, Gideon Tadmor, Adam J. Wilde, Geoff Yaw, and Ryan J. Kelly serving as executive producers.

Roadside Attractions’ Cohen and Saban Films’ Saba negotiated the deal for Buddy, with Range Select & UTA Independent Film Group repping the filmmakers.