Daniel Kaluuya’s BARNEY Movie "Will Not Be Odd" According Mattel CEO
A lot of people are curious about the upcoming Barney movie which will star Nope and Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya, especially after Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon described it as being similar to an A24 movie and compared it to the “surrealistic” films from Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze.
While that may sound strange for a Barney movie, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz said that the movie won’t be odd. When asked about the film during an interview with Semafor, he said:
“That one is getting a lot of reaction. It’s too early to be specific, but I can tell you we are taking a fresh approach that will be fun, entertaining and culturally oriented. It will not be an odd movie.”
I love that he had to make a point of saying that the movie won’t be odd. And so what if it is!? Barbie can be considered an odd movie, and it was a huge hit! I think audiences are okay with odd these days. Barney being an odd movie would actually be a selling point for me.
When previously talking about the movie, McKeon explained that the movie would be geared more toward adults and it would tap into millennial angst. He explained:
"We're leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids. 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."
When previously talking about the movie, Kaluuya shared that he thought the idea of Barney's story could be heartbreaking as well as timely. he said:
"Barney taught us, 'I love you; you love me. Won't you say you love me too?' That's one of the first songs I remember, and what happens when that isn't true? I thought that was really heartbreaking. I have no idea why but it feels like that makes sense. It feels like there's something unexpected that can be poignant but optimistic. Especially at this time now, I think that's really, really needed."
Whatever they are doing with the movie, the creative team is definitely taking a different direction with the property than people were expecting.
Robbie Brenner of Mattel Films had this to say in a previous statement: “Working with Daniel Kaluuya will enable us to take a completely new approach to Barney that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations. The project will speak to the nostalgia of the brand in a way that will resonate with adults, while entertaining today’s kids.”
David Carrico of Valparaiso Pictures went on to say: “Barney is a dinosaur from our imagination, and we can’t wait to get ‘I love you, you love me’ stuck in heads everywhere, yet again.”
Are any of you excited to see how this Barney movie turns out?