Even earlier than the Barbie movie grew to become one of many largest movies of 2023, it was clear Mattel was going to make use of that as a leaping off level to carry more of its toys to the silver display screen. The corporate’s by no means been shy about what toys are getting the film therapy, with essentially the most well-known of the bunch being one centered on Barney the Purple Dinosaur that may star Nope’s Daniel Kaluuya.
Not too long ago, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz touched on that movie, presently titled Barbie & Mates. In an interview with Semafor Business, he mentioned it was “too early” to speak specifics for that movie, however claimed it will be much less existentially meta than Barbie was. “It won’t be an odd film,” he mentioned. “I can let you know we’re taking a recent method that shall be enjoyable, entertaining and culturally oriented.”
Kreiz’s feedback on Barney & Mates conflict with ones beforehand made by Mattel Movies’ Kevin McKeon. Again in July, the manager claimed to The Wrap this film would “lean into the millennial angst” of the property, calling it “actually a play for adults. Not that it’s R-rated, but it surely’ll deal with among the trials and tribulations of being thirtysomething, rising up with Barney — simply the extent of disenchantment throughout the technology.” That very same month, fellow government Robbie Brenner described it as being akin to Being John Malkovich or Adaptation—”Any film that has Barney just isn’t definitely going to be simple,” she informed Selection. “We’re not making Ted.”
No matter Mattel finally ends up doing with that Barney film, McKeon does have some extent in highlighting the oddness of rising up with the dinosaur. As highlighted within the 2022 documentary I Love You, You Hate Me, there was a time period within the early 2000s the place teenagers and adults genuinely hated the character, with the previous making up songs about killing him and the latter sending dying threats to these concerned with the present. The film might not absolutely deal with that type of overblown ugliness, but it surely wouldn’t be stunning if that have been acknowledged in some style.
After all, all of this is dependent upon the precise Barney & Mates film getting made and launched, and we’ll see how that goes.
[by way of Deadline]
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