By We’ve seen some wild feature film adaptations over the past few years. The Emoji Movie, UglyDolls; not one but two Angry Birds films. Well things about to get a whole lot more purple around here (and I’m not talking about my dream of a Grimace origin story).
Mattel Films has announced that it will be be co-producing alongside Daniel Kaluuya (Widows, Get Out) and his 59% production banner a live-action feature film based on Barney & Friends, the essential children’s program. The following is a real statement from Kaluuya:
“Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood. We’re excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of ‘I love you, you love me’ can stand the test of time.”
There’s a whole lot to unpack here, from Barney’s retreat “into the shadows” to allegations of his status as a “compelling modern-day hero.” Clearly there’s a passion on Kaluuya’s end to bring the character to the prestigious level he so clearly deserves, and I’m all for it if he is. Personally I just can’t stop imagining a film in which Barney appears opposite a character like Kaluuya’s in Widows; maybe the two play mob enforcers.
However violent the Barney film ends up, it won’t be the first or last Mattel property to see feature success or failure. We have a Masters of the Universe reboot and a feature-length Barbie film to get to yet, with the big purple dinosaur likely making an appearance after those films.
For anything and everything Barney, stay tuned to Flixist.
‘Barney’ Movie in the Works From Mattel, Daniel Kaluuya [The Hollywood Reporter]