Daniel Kaluuya's 'Barney' may be Mattel's next box office smash, but for angsty millennials
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Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya — who starred in Jordan Peele’s horror hit “Get Out” — is producing a forthcoming Mattel movie, and although at first glance "Barney" may look like a children’s feature, this film is for the angsty millennials.
Mattel described “Barney the Dinosaur” as an “A24-type” of “surrealistic” film. And the Oscar-nominated producer at the helm of Mattel Films, Robbie Brenner, dished to Variety, “I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be darker. It’s just going to be unique — more of like a ‘Being John Malkovich’ or an ‘Adaptation.’ ”
After “Barbie” scored the biggest domestic opening weekend of 2023, earning an estimated $155 million in the United States and Canada, Mattel Films is eager to translate its rich toy line to blockbuster big bucks.
In 2018, the storied toymaking conglomerate brought in Ynon Kreiz as the new chief executive. He envisioned a Mattel for the big screen, and after the massive success of “Barbie,” the sky seems to be the limit.
Numerous new projects are in development with A-listers attached, according to Variety. “Barney,” “Thomas and Friends,” “Hot Wheels” and “Polly Pocket” are just a few — and “Barbie” sequels aren’t out of the question, either.
In a wide-ranging New Yorker report on Mattel’s grand plans for its IP gold mine, Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon said “Barney” would embrace an adult audience. “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.”
McKeon continued that the endeavor felt like a daring one and aimed to underscore that Mattel is “here to make art.”
Mattel and Kaluuya announced they had partnered up for “Barney” in October 2019. At the time, Kaluuya told the Guardian that Barney was a “ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods” before he vanished 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.”
The “Barney” project is in development, with “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin signed on to write.
Read more: Mattel creates new film division to turn toys into movies
Mattel has big hopes for its future in film. Thirteen more movies have been publicly announced, including an American Girl movie that would be “Booksmart” meets “Bill & Ted,” a Magic 8 Ball horror comedy, a J.J. Abrams-directed Hot Wheels film, and a Polly Pocket movie starring Lily Collins as the micro-doll with Lena Dunham writing and directing. Forty-five Mattel films are in development, according to the New Yorker.
Brenner’s right hand, Kevin McKeon, told the New Yorker that he was most excited by Kaluuya’s “Barney.”
Brenner dropped a few more hints about the project when speaking with Variety on Wednesday. “Any movie that has Barney is not certainly going to be straightforward,” the Mattel exec said, adding that the film would be about “identity and finding who you love and who feels alienated” and “what does it all mean?” — but more adult, exploring adult themes and, according to Brenner, “a little bit off-kilter.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
