One of the more bizarre projects kicking around in Hollywood is a “Barney” movie that will see A24 team up with Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out”) for a new live-action take on the beloved children’s TV show that was built around the concept of a talking purple dinosaur that helped to encourage and teach kids in a school setting.
“Barney” has seen quite the update today as A24 has revealed to us that Ayo Edebiri, is now set to write the gestating film and potentially even take an acting role as well as she is in talks to star (potentially alongside Kaluuya).
Mattel Films, behind pics like the billion-dollar hit “Barbie” and the upcoming Amazon feature film remake of “Masters of The Universe,” is also involved alongside Kaluuya’s own production company, 59% Productions.
Edebiri, a comedian and creator in her own right, exploded thanks to her co-starring role in the hit FX series “The Bear,” where she earned Emmy statues with back-to-back wins for Outstanding Actress In A Comedy Series and has also contributed as a director. Some of her previous writing credits include the hilarious vampire sitcom “What We Do In The Shadows,” the animated series “Craig of The Creek,” and the Hailee Steinfeld-led period Apple TV+ show “Dickinson.”
The only thing we’ve heard in the past is that the plan is to be much darker than the original TV version and has been compared to the Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman surreal films “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation.”
Could we see a film focused on the person inside the Barney dino suit? Maybe, but until we know for sure we’ll keep being perplexed by the project.
We shouldn’t be shocked if Mattel is going to be extremely open-minded to whatever Edebiri and Kaluuya want to do with “Barney,” given how “Barbie” came together with Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, and Noah Baumbach as the creative team trying to use an uplifting feminist theme that turned the movie into something much bigger than a by-the-numbers film based on an iconic toy.
Stay tuned for further updates as “Barney” has certainly got our attention and we can’t wait to see what they’ve coming up with at A24.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://theplaylist.net/barney-ayo-edebiri-a24-movie-daniel-kaluuya-20250225/&media=https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25120151/Ayo-Edebiri-Tapped-To-Write-Live-Action-Barney-Movie-For-Mattel-A24-Producer-Daniel-Kaluuya-Also-In-Talks-To-Star.jpg&description=Ayo Edebiri ("The Bear") has been tasked by A24 to write a new "Barney" movie produced by Daniel Kaluuya and possibly even star as well.){kind=link}