In 1997, “Air Bud” — a film about a dog capable of playing basketball — landed in theaters.
It did fairly well, I assumed, since I can still remember the existence of the movie almost 20 years later, even though I didn’t see it. While most movies come and go without anyone noticing, “Air Bud” retains a sliver of the zeitgeist.
It was popular enough to stick around for a while and not fade into obscurity.
I read this week that a sequel to “Air Bud” is being made, which wasn’t surprising. Legacy sequels are all the rage these days.
Why make something new when you can rehash something old?
But what did surprise me was this:
The upcoming film will indeed be the fifteenth movie in the “Air Bud” franchise.
Fifteen!
That’s fourteen sequels I didn’t know existed.
Fourteen sequels of a completely ridiculous concept.
Fourteen sequels that likely netted producers tens of millions of dollars or more. Employed hundreds — maybe thousands — of people.
And dogs.
The sequels included movies like:
“Air Bud: Golden Receiver”
“Air Bud: World Pup”
“Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch”
“Air Bud: Spikes Back”
Basketball was apparently just the beginning for this remarkable dog, which has likely been replaced at least three times based on the average lifespan of a dog.
Screenwriting legend William Golding famously said about Hollywood that “no one knows anything.”
I believe that the success of the “Air Bud” franchise is proof positive that Golding was absolutely correct.
