It’s true. A Barney movie is actually in the works. As the news broke out last year, Mattel Films is preparing to release the friendly purple T-Rex’s cinematic comeback. First debuting in 1998, Barney & Friends entertained young viewers for a good 18-year run. It spawned various toys and merchandise, and even a disastrous motion picture. But nobody would have guessed that a proper studio film would be made on Barney now.
There are many questions and a few answers that we have got till now regarding the Barney film. We dissect the buzz that we are getting till now. Here are 7 confirmed things about the Barney and 3 that we will have to speculate.
Confirmed: Daniel Kaluuya Will Serve As Producer
For making the new Barney film, Mattel Films (the cinematic division of Mattel Toys) has collaborated with Daniel Kaluuya’s newly formed production company 59%. This seems like a bizarre and unconventional choice for the Get Out and Queen & Slim star.
Most of Kaluuya’s previous acting in films and TV has been in the R-rated territories. It’ll be exciting to see what direction will this untitled Barney project takes under Kaluuya’s influence.
Confirmed: The Film will be Live-Action
Just like the show, it is to be a live-action production with little or no scope for animation. This most probably points to the possibility of Barney being played ‘Disneyland-style’, by an actor in a gigantic costume. This will be interesting to watch as most of today’s movies rely on CGI effects for anthropomorphic characters.
But then who will play Barney physically or voice him, that’s yet to be disclosed. David Joyner is the actor who played Barney for the longest time (nearly 10 years) and now works as a tantric sex therapist, so it’s unlikely for him to sweat inside the dinosaur costume once again. But then what if this comeback of Barney would also mean Joyner’s comeback? It will be a fitting tribute to the origins of the character.
Not Confirmed: Will Barney have his own Movie Franchise?
The scope of a Barney film series will obviously depend on how critics and mainly audiences react to this new rendition of the character. But the rate at which movies based on children’s shows are being made can mean anything for Barney’s future.
Imagine, a Marvel-style post-credits scene, or a Baby Bop spin-off. The possibilities are endless.
Confirmed: No Connection with Barney’s Great Adventure
This film won’t be Barney’s big-screen debut. Although the pink dinosaur has starred in various straight-to-DVD productions, he did appear in a motion picture called Barney’s Great Adventure in 1998. The story involves Barney and three kids finding an egg that can create dreams! The result of this psychedelic journey? Bad reviews and 2 Razzie nominations. Barney himself got nominated for ‘Best Worst Star’!
So, it’s clear that Kaluuya’s Barney will start on a clean slate, trying to erase the disaster that was Barney’s Great Adventure. Maybe a joke or an Easter egg (no pun intended) can be thrown here and there.
Confirmed: The new Barney is to be slightly ’edgier’
“Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood." That’s how Daniel Kaluuya has been describing this project. Why is he describing Barney this seriously? After all, he is a character who has mostly been aimed for kids below the age of 8. What’s to be misunderstood?
So it can be said that this new rendition will make the character more appealing to slightly elder pre-teens too. In this regard, you can see what Nickelodeon did with last year’s movie on Dora The Explorer. Dora And The Lost City Of Goldsurprisingly turned out to be an enjoyable joyride and even drew critical acclaim. The movie resorted to self-deprecating humor to mock the show’s kiddish elements, making it appealing for elder viewers too. The Barney movie might hence be more intelligent than the show.
Not Confirmed: The MPAA Rating of the Film
Judging from the source material, the movie is most probably going to receive a PG rating but who knows it might be bold enough to get a PG-13 rating (a stable for fantasy and superhero films). After all, we are to expect the unexpected with this film if we go according to what Mattel has been saying.
“Working with Daniel Kaluuya will enable us to take a completely new approach to Barney that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations,” says Robie Brenner from Mattel Films.
Confirmed: There will be I Love You, You Love Me in the Soundtrack
I Love You, You Love Me is the theme song of Barney and Friends. It has lyrics about hugging and loving everyone which sounds too perfectly Utopian but also really really annoying. And in another piece of news that doesn’t come as a surprise, this song would be used in the movie too.
“We can’t wait to get ‘I love you, you love me’ stuck in heads everywhere, yet again,” is what Valparaiso’s David Carrico says. But someone should tell Carrico that nobody wants this song to be stuck in their head anymore! Whether it’ll use the same lyrics and melody or get a 2020 remix, that’s yet to be seen.
Confirmed: Mattel is intent on selling a lot of Film Merch
We live in a world where Mattel is already planning to make movies on Barbie and Hot Wheels. After all, Hasbro has made its entire LEGO universe in films, so it only makes sense for Mattel Films to expand its operations. Apart from cinematic value, Barney is very likely to be a cash cow for Mattel to sell the film’s merchandise.
The Barbie film is most likely to star Margot Robbie and might also involve Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach in the creative process. It’s no child’s play! As for the Hot Wheels live-action films, they might probably end up becoming Fast and Furiousrip-offs.
Not Confirmed: Will Daniel Kaluuya do any acting?
This is Kaluuya’s first time producing any film but would the British actor have any more credits in this film? Maybe he has a surprise cameo or a major role. Or maybe he would don the purple costume himself?
Although Kaluuya’s filmography mostly includes drama, one of his earliest roles was in the comedy Johnny English Reborn. It would be fun to see Kaluuya take up a humorous role again.
Not Confirmed: Release Date
It has been speculated that the movie will drop this year but production is still being kept hush-hush. It might most probably get a summer release or any other major holiday date.
Despite Kaluuya’s press release in which he calls Barney a modern-day hero, his IMDb also does not mention this project. What is the mysterious secret that is being hidden from us? Here’s hoping that the Barney movie lives up to its hype.
