Barbie has changed Hollywood. It’s a bold proclamation for a film that was just released, but the universal critical acclaim, coupled with the eye-popping box office numbers, suggest that studios have stumbled upon the next big thing: toy adaptations. Mattel could not have predicted a better outcome for its Barbie line, and how the company is looking to repeat the formula with the rest of its toys.
The most unexpected of these Mattel adaptations is the upcoming Barney film. Barney is, of course, the purple dinosaur who debuted on the kids show Barney & Friends (1992-2010) and went on to become a childhood staple. The upcoming film, however, is going to take a darker, more mature look at the character and the man who played him.
According to Variety, Barney is going to be a character study that’s closer in tone to an A24 production than a Warner Bros. production. Robbie Brenner, the producer of Barbie and the head of Mattel Films, went as far as to compare it to the surreal works of director Spike Jonze. “I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be darker,” he noted. “It’s just going to be unique — more of like a Being John Malkovich or an Adaptation.” It’s a bold proclamation, especially given that Barbie has done so well due to its pop aesthetic and appeal to viewers of all ages.
In a previous statement, Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon said that Barney will attempt to reckon with the kids who grew up watching Barney, the disillusion that comes with confronting the character’s positivity as an adult. “We’re leaning into the Millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids,” McKeon added. “It’s really a play for adults. Not that it’s R-rated.”
While it may sound like a parody of the “dark origin story” that’s been popularized by the likes of Joker (2019) or Cruella (2021), the involvement of Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya forces us to take the Barney film seriously. Kaluuya is one of the best actors of his generation, and the fact that he feels strong enough about the material that he’s not only willing to star in but produce Barney suggests that there’s something special here.
“The script’s gotta be good, you know what I mean?,” Kaluuya told the outlet. “I ask for high standards on anything that I work on, and I’m producing this one. 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.”
Barney is one of a dozen film adaptations that Mattel has confirmed in the last week, with some of the other notable ones being Major Matt Mason with Tom Hanks, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots with Vin Diesel, and Polly Pocket with Lily Collins.
It remains to be seen whether Mattel Films will take the right lessons from Barbie, in that a talented director and cast were given the opportunity to make something meaningful, but since we’re going to be inundated with new releases for the next several years, we’re hoping for the best!
Published: Jul 26, 2023 11:25 pm