Barney: Daniel Kaluuya Movie Will Be About the Disillusionment of Being an Adult

All the summer attention is on Barbie, but the iconic doll won’t be the only Mattel character to make it to the movies. Another project on the way is Barney, the film that the company is developing with Daniel Kaluuya as the protagonist. Although this project has been in the works for a while, the head of the company’s film division has shared some details about it.

Barney’s plot

It’s still under lock and key, but Kevin McKeon, president of Mattel Films, explained that it’s not a children’s story. And he’s going to explore the way young people have been disillusioned with the idea of being an adult. He even went so far as to cite the films of A24, the famous independent studio, as inspiration for the style he will be looking for: “We are not recharging on millennial angst for this project instead of directing it at children. It is for adults. Not that it’s going to be R-rated, but it will focus on the woes of being over thirty and growing up with Barney, just the level of disenchantment within that generation. It’s A24 type, surreal.”

As far as we know, Barney doesn’t yet have a director attached to the project. The only thing that has been confirmed is that Kaluuya, winner of the Oscar, will be the protagonist and producer of this film. Previously, he had hinted that it will be an optimistic story, but that it will also deal with the feeling of being heartbroken. It is unknown in what form or how much capacity the iconic purple dinosaur will appear.

Kaluuya most recently became a crowd favorite as Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk, in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (92%). The actor lends his voice to this character that became one of the most liked versions of the wall-crawler by the audience among the many that were shown in the animated film. She is expected to return in the sequel, which is still scheduled to be released in March of next year.

Barbie is a cultural phenomenon. Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, the film tells the story of a doll who begins to see her idyllic life mysteriously collapse. To find answers, she’ll travel to the real world, but it won’t be exactly what she has in mind. Barney is still in development, and if Barbie succeeds at the box office, we’ll likely have more news on the film soon. That first film will hit theaters starting July 20. But it will not be the only one, as there are plans for films based on Uno, Hot Wheels, Pollypocket, Masters of the universe and many more toys and games.

Continue reading: Barbie is not a feminist film, Mattel executives say