While Mattel is predominantly a children's toy manufacturer, as of late, the company has been taking the box office world by storm. In a few weeks, Barbie will debut and give us a more adult take on the character, and then in the future, we can expect projects based on Hot Wheels, Uno, and even everyone's favourite purple dinosaur, Barney. However, with the latter in mind, the proposed film will seemingly have a more mature theme to it.
As clarified by Mattel executive Kevin McKeon in an interview with New Yorker, the Barney movie which is being helmed by Daniel Kaluuya is claimed to be "surrealistic" and compared with Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze's work.
To add to this, McKeon stated: "We're leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids. 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 even stated that the Barney film would be an "A24-type film" and that the team is there to "make art".
Considering how much attention Barbie seems to be generating, it's no wonder that Mattel is looking to use its iconic brands in a more peculiar way to appeal to film audiences.
Will you be watching Daniel Kaluuya's Barney film?