Synopsis[]
According to Robbie Brenner, Head/EP of Mattel Films, the upcoming film will be about “identity and finding who you love and who feels alienated” and “what does it all mean?”[2]
Production[]
Development[]
HIT Entertainment[]
Fred Holmes, who was a director for Barney & Friends, pitched the idea of doing a Barney film with with 2929 Entertainment,[3] an American media and entertainment company co-founded by billionaire entrepreneurs Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban, given that Holmes had a producer friend within the company. Given the interest within 2929 Entertainment, Holmes alongside Karen Barnes, who was the executive producer of Barney & Friends at the time, were flown out to New York City, New York to have conversations with them at Radio City Musical Hall, during the run of Barney Live! The Let's Go Tour.[4] Cuban wanted to invest in a Barney film given that his children were fans of the property. 2929 Entertainment offered the Barney crew seven million dollars to do the film. Given the crew's disappointment that the first film, Barney's Great Adventure, used mainly a Canadian production crew, as opposed to using most of the crew from Barney & Friends, 2929 Entertainment promised the Barney crew that they could do whatever they desired for the film. The initial plan in mind was for Fred Holmes to direct, Stephen White, a series writer for Barney & Friends, to write the film and the production crew would mostly consist of those from Barney & Friends. Barnes made the announcement of the upcoming film to the cast and crew at lunch during a taping of a Barney & Friends episode Holmes was directing. The initial concept pitched by Fred Holmes focused on the idea of who the very first child was that needed Barney that caused him to eventually spring to life. Another idea came around during Barney's 20th Anniversary, as conversations continued to be held, from series writer Cheryl Ammeter which saw a child losing Barney as a plush and Barney would eventually be passed to children worldwide, helping them overcome their obstacles until making his way back to the child that initially lost him as a plush.[5] In March 2009, HIT Entertainment had set up a film division titled HIT Movies, with Julia Pistor as the head of the division.[6] The division announced that several of their properties would get new theatrically released films, including Barney.[7] During this time that HIT Movies was around, HIT commissioned Eric Alan to make a rip-o-matic (mock trailer) to give investors an idea about the film. The respective trailer showcased the film was to be released in 2012. Barnes eventually pitched the film to executives in New York, but the idea of the film was cancelled given that Barney & Friends was to be sold and the executives feared a box-office failure. The division was eventually scrapped alongside the films in development and HIT Entertainment, owners of Barney & Friends, was acquired by Mattel.
Mattel[]
On October 18, 2019, Mattel Films announced a collaboration with the production companies Valparaiso Pictures and 59% to develop a new live-action Barney film. Mattel Films announced it would co-produce the film alongside Daniel Kaluuya, Rowan Riley and Amandla Crichlow at 59%, as well as Valparaiso's David Carrico, Adam Paulsen and Bobby Hoppey. Kevin McKeon will also shepherd the project for Mattel Films.[8] The film is to be written by Lee Sung Jin.[9][10][1][11] During an interview with Entertainment Weekly on October 19, 2020, Kaluuya stated that his reason for wanting to do the film was based on "I Love You", a song that's sung at the end of every Barney episode, and was intrigued with the angle of a premise of when those words 'I love you, you love me. Won’t you say you love me too?’ aren't true.[12][13] On June 28, 2021, Annapurna Pictures inherited a majority of Valparaiso's upcoming films, including Barney. David Carrico, founder of Valparaiso, remains attached to the film as an executive producer.[14] On August 30, 2021, it was announced that Fisher-Price Play Lab, the research arm for Mattel, would help with the content of the film. With the help of Mattel's Play Lab, the upcoming Mattel Films, including Barney, would better engage kids, be more developmentally appropriate, and tap into topics that families most want to explore in entertainment.[15]
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, that was released on July 14, 2022, Kaluuya mentioned that the script was being reworked[16] and later confirmed with Yahoo Entertainment UK in June 2023 that the script was still in development.[17]
Concept[]
In an exclusive interview with The New Yorker, that was released on July 2, 2023, McKeon described that the film would be “surrealistic”; comparing it to the works of Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze, who are a director and screenwriter respectively. Robbie Brenner, executive producer and head of Mattel Films, further described the concept as being similar to the films Being John Malkovich and or Adaptation[2] (which are both films by Kaufman and Jonze). The film's concept has been sold to prospective partners as an "A24-type" film, emphasizing the artistic vision of the film.[18]
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In an interview with Semafor, Ynon Kreiz, the CEO of Mattel, weighed in on the film's concept mentioning that the film wouldn't be odd.[19][20]
Casting[]
During an interview with a reporter from Variety for the premiere of Nope on July 18, 2022, Kaluuya revealed that his main concern for whoever will be in the Barney suit is whether the actor will fit the story narrative and touch the most amount of people.[21]
Trivia[]
People[]
- Stephen White, a longtime series writer (and former head writer) for Barney & Friends, has expressed interest in wanting to consult on the film.
- Steven Feldman, a director of Barney & Friends, has tried to reach out to the crew working on the upcoming Barney film to give advice.
- While appearing on the Zach Sang Show in October 2019, Selena Gomez, who portrayed Gianna on Barney & Friends, expressed interest in wanting to join the film.[22]
Video[]
Rip-O-Matic[]
