For a lot of people who grew up in the 90’s, Barney the friendly dinosaur was an iconic part of early childhood. Created by Sheryl Leach, this purple Tyrannosaurus debuted in a series of home videos called Barney and the Backyard Gang. The video’s success attracted the attention of PBS, who gave the dino his own educational TV series, Barney & Friends, which was aimed at pre-school aged children.
Barney made his film debut in the 1998 movie Barney’s Great Adventure, but now the dinosaur and his friends are returning to the big screen once more with the help of British actor Daniel Kaluuya.
The Hollywood Reporter has just announced that Kaluuya will be partnering with Mattel Films to create a live action Barney the Dinosaur reboot. Kaluuya will be serving as a producer for the movie alongside other producers including Rowan Riley, Amandla Crichlow, David Carrico, Adam Paulsen, and Bobby Hoppey.Kaluuya is of course well known for starring in the horror comedy Get Out, an episode of Black Mirror, and for his appearance in Black Panther.
Barney is not the only Mattel franchise making its way into theaters. There have been reports that Mattel is also working to produce movies based on Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Masters of the Universe.