Daniel Kaluuya’s ‘A24-Type’ Barney Film to Lean Into ‘Millennial Angst’

Barney is ready to get real. It's been almost four years since plans were announced for Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya to produce a live-action Barney film, and we're finally getting some intriguing new details on the highly-anticipated project.

Ahead of the release of Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's much-hyped Barbie movie, The New Yorker detailed the ambitious upcoming Hollywood plans for toy powerhouse Mattel, and apparently the film generating the most internal buzz is Barney. Mattel film executive Kevin McKeon described it as a "surrealistic" take and evoked the work of Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze, the filmmakers behind Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

"We're leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids," McKeon said. "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 added that he'd been pitching it as an "A24-type" film: "It would be so daring of us and really underscore that we're here to make art."

Kaluuya declined comment for the New Yorker story, but, when speaking to Entertainment Weekly in late 2020, the Get Out actor shared why he was so drawn to the prospect of finding this "poignant but optimistic" way into the beloved show for children.

"Barney taught us, 'I love you, you love me. Won't you say you love me, too?'" Kaluuya said. "That's one of the first songs I remember, and what happens when that isn't true? I thought that was really heartbreaking. I have no idea why but it feels like that makes sense. It feels like there's something unexpected that can be poignant but optimistic. Especially at this time now, I think that's really, really needed."

Barney, a future Oscar-winner? Don't count him out yet.