Ayo Edebiri to Write and Possibly Star in Live-Action BARNEY Movie for Mattel
The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri has been hired to write the script and possibly star in the live-action Barney movie that is being made by Mattel and A24.
The film’s plot is being kept under wraps. Kevin McKeon and Andrew Scannell are overseeing for Mattel Films, with Robbie Brenner producing for Mattel, along with A24, as well as Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Nope) and Rowan Riley for 59% Productions.
A purple dinosaur who has been a staple of children’s television for decades, Barney was first introduced to the world via direct-to-video series Barney & the Backyard Gang in 1988, breaking out as a global sensation with the series Barney & Friends, which aired for 14 seasons on PBS between 1992 and 2010.
In a July 2023 interview with The New Yorker, Mattel exec Kevin McKeon revealed that the live-action Barnie would be adult-oriented and “surrealistic,” in the vein of films by Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze.
“We’re leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids,” the executive said at the time. “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.”
Several months later, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz gave his own remarks on the project, telling Semafor that the company would be “taking a fresh approach” to the character that will be “fun, entertaining and culturally oriented.” At the same time, he made a point of noting that the live-action Barney “will not be an odd movie.”
We will see how it all pans out. I’m not too sure about this Barney movie, but there are talented people on board, so I am interested in at least seeing where they take it.
via: Deadline