Daniel Kaluuya’s Barney Movie Has Added Another Surprising Talent: Ayo Edebiri

Remember a few years back, when movie fans shared a collective gasp over the genuinely bizarre news that indie darling Greta Gerwig was going to make the Barbie movie? This is sort of that same feeling. We already knew that Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, star of Black Panther and Get Out, would be involved in Mattel’s big-screen Barney adaptation; he’s been part of it since 2019. But the latest name to board the project has us even more intrigued: Ayo Edebiri of The Bear, Bottoms, and Inside Out 2.

Oh, also, Barney is going to be an A24 film? I love you, you love me, and you have my attention. According to a press release shared today, Edebiri is not only in talks to star alongside Kaluuya in the live-action movie, she’d also be writing the script. The film is a co-production of Mattel Films, Kaluuya’s 59% Productions, and A24.

There are no further updates beyond Ediberi joining Team Purple Dinosaur, though the release does remind us that Barney the character has been around since 1988 (the PBS series Barney & Friends ended in 2010), and promises that “Mattel Films’ vision is to collaborate with leading filmmakers to make standout quality movies based on our iconic brands that will resonate in culture and appeal to global audiences.”

With Gerwig so far seemingly reluctant to make a follow-up to the billion-dollar Barbie, it seems likely the company sees Barney as another way to reach that sweet spot of critical and box-office success. While there are no details about Edebiri’s script, we do know she has a strong background in comedy writing (her bona fides include the brain-melting “Private School” episode of What We Do in the Shadows).

And we’ve had some breadcrumbs over the years as to what to expect from Barney, though of course Edebiri will be bringing her own stamp to it. In 2019, pre-Barbie, Kaluuya noted that “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.”

Then, in 2023, post-Barbie, the CEO of Mattel promised that “It will not be an odd movie. I can tell you we are taking a fresh approach that will be fun, entertaining, and culturally oriented.” This curious statement came a few months after Mattel execs teased that Barney would “lean into the millennial angst” of the property that will “focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being thirtysomething, growing up with Barney–just the level of disenchantment within the generation,” as well as making comparisons to more meta, surreal, and imaginative films like Being John Malkovich or Adaptation.

Or… Barbie? There’s no word yet on when Barney might hit theaters, but we’re hoping for both “odd” and “fun, entertaining, and culturally oriented.” What are your thoughts on this latest Barney development?

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