Ayo Edebiri is bringing her quirky flare to a live-action Barney film. Variety reports that the Emmy award-winning actress is being eyed to write and star in A24, Daniel Kaluuya‘s 59% Productions, and Mattel Films’ Barney movie.
The outlet details that Andrew Scannell and Kevin McKeon will oversee the film on behalf of Mattel, while Robbie Brenner has been brought on as Mattel Film’s producer in conjunction with A24. Kaluuya and Rowan Riley will be producer reps for 59% Productions. Despite Daniel’s involvement, he is not slated to appear in the forthcoming film.
No synopsis has been revealed about Barney thus far, with the producers hoping to keep a tight lip about the movie’s plot. However, Brenner has previously mentioned in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that Kaluuya’s involvement was strategic “to take a completely new approach to Barney that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations.”
Barney the dinosaur rides on a float at the 76th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Herald Square November 28, 2002 in New York City.
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Then, in an October 2024 interview, Mattel chief franchise officer Josh Silverman asserted that the film and TV arms of the company are in sync but teased that the recently rebooted animated vision of the purple dinosaur and the upcoming movie will have their differences.
“In the case here, the Barney film will be what it’s ultimately going to be, and this show, we felt that, we want to remain consistent to the authenticity. That’s really, really important. If it’s not authentic, we’re not going to do it. We want to remain consistent to the authenticity, the DNA of Barney, but we also want to modernize,” Silverman said. “And we thought that an animated show was a way to certainly do that, and certainly be able to connect again to the preschoolers. It’s not to say that we’re not going to do other types of content in the future with Barney that we can share more of at some point, but this is just one step in a direction.”
“The show is great, the music’s great, but it wasn’t necessarily to be a departure from the film. We do think about our IP and our content strategy holistically. So everything is very much thoughtful and planned with great insights and, ultimately, a strategy there. But we want each each offering to live in its own space.”
Barney first hit TV in 1988 in the show Barney & Friends. The PBS show ran for 14 seasons before concluding in November 2010.
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