Oscar-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya is working on an upcoming Barney movie. And while you might think it odd that the star of Get Out and Nope would be working on such a random topic, what's even odder is he's making the film for adults more than he is for kids. Film executive Kevin McKeon, via The New Yorker, said that the Barney & Friends movie will be "surrealistic," "[Leaning] into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids."
"Not that it’s R-rated," McKeon continues, "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." Barney the purple dinosaur, a Mattel product that shaped an entire group of children in the late 90s and early 2000s, is just the latest in a plethora of nostalgia-based movie ideas. Barbie is coming out on July 21st with a PG-13 rating attached. It won't only stir up serotonin levels in millennials; it'll also tackle existential questions. (Because Daniel Kaluuya knows that's what you want in your Barney movie.)
Why Daniel Kaluuya Is Doing A "Barney" Movie
While Barney & Friends taught children how to spell and count, Daniel Kaluuya's movie about Barney and his various friends will be teaching those same kids -- now cynical adults, no doubt -- something about themselves. McKeon describes the project as an "A24-type" of a movie, referring to the ever-daring indie studio. “It would be so daring of us," says McKeon, still speaking with The New Yorker, "and really underscore that we’re here to make art.”
While Barney might not be the first thing you think about when you think about "art," it's easy to say that this project is in safe hands. Daniel Kaluuya has been making incredible decisions with his acting roles as of late, hitching his wagon to rising directing superstar Jordan Peele and being a small yet pivotal part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If he wants to do a Barney movie, we have to trust that Kaluuya knows what he's doing.
[Via]