Daniel Kaluuya's Barney live-action movie is set to follow in Barbie's footsteps, as it targets an older audience.
The Mattel Films collaboration with the Black Panther star as lead actor and producer is said to be a "surrealistic" take on the beloved children’s character.
It is expected to lean into the "millennial angst" of the purple dinosaur, who first debuted on Barney & Friends back in the '90s on PBS.
Ahead of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie being released next month, executive Kevin McKeon told The New Yorker about the Barney movie: "We’re leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids.
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"It’s really a play for adults. Not that it’s R-rated, but it’ll focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being thirtysomething, growing up with Barney — just the level of disenchantment within the generation."
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He described it as an "A24-type" film before McKeon added: "It would be so daring of us, and really underscore that we’re here to make art."
Earlier this year, Kaluuya told Yahoo UK that the project was still in the early stages of development even though he has been signed to the film since 2019.
"The script's gotta be good. It's in development," he said. "I ask for high standards on anything that I work on, and I'm producing this one, so it's still in development."
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It comes as Mattel’s Barbie movie is set to hit cinemas next month, which sees Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) leave their picture-perfect Barbieland and enter the real world on a journey of self-discovery.
The Barney movie, which will centre on the beloved children’s character, is just one project in the pipeline for the franchise, as it is set to release a new animated series in 2024 too.
No other cast has been confirmed yet for the upcoming movie, nor an expected release date.
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Jess is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for over-analysing everyone’s favourite movies and TV shows. As an English graduate from the University of York with an MA in Creative Writing, Jess worked as a magazine editor before turning freelance. Since then, Jess has written for outlets such as GQ, The Guardian, Inverse, Huff Post, Stylist, and Insider. She specialises in the representation of mental health, grief, and women in film. She’s also a major Marvel nerd and is writing a YA fantasy novel. LinkedIn
