Ayo Edebiri is on a roll these days. Starring in a movie opposite John Malkovich? Check. Working with Luca Guadagnino and Julia Roberts? Check and check. All while posting the most memeable reviews on Letterboxd? Hell yes, check. The Bear and Bottoms star only continues to show off her range with her latest surprising project: a film about Barney. Yes, like, the purple dinosaur.
Edebiri is reportedly in talks to star and write the film, which is being produced by A24 and Daniel Kaluuya’s company, 59% Productions, in partnership with Mattel. The project was first announced in 2019, while Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, another Mattel production, was in the works. While the plot and release date remain a mystery for now, we’ve gathered what you need to know so far.
What is the Barney film about?
Great question. There is no official logline yet, but Mattel and Kaluuya have dropped hints while announcing the film. The team will “take a completely new approach to ‘Barney’ that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations,” Robbie Brenner of Mattel Films said in 2019, per Deadline. “The project will speak to the nostalgia of the brand in a way that will resonate with adults, while entertaining today’s kids.”
Kaluuya added at the time, “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.”
Over the years, more details about the film have surfaced. Mattel Films’ Kevin McKeon described it as an “A24-type” movie while speaking to The New Yorker in July 2023. “It would be so daring of us, and really underscore that we’re here to make art,” he said.
“We’re leaning into the Millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids,” McKeon explained. “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 30-something, growing up with Barney—just the level of disenchantment within the generation.”
After McKeon’s comments gained traction, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz clarified a few months later that the movie won’t be too out there. “It will not be an odd movie,” he told Semafor in October 2023.
Ayo Edebiri
Daniel Kaluuya
Who is in the cast?
So far, Edebiri is in talks to star and write the screenplay, according to Variety. While Kaluuya is producing, he unfortunately will not star.
This story will be updated.