Bluey may be one of the most beloved children’s mascots today, but kids from the 90s knew a big purple dinosaur called Barney who was the star of Barney & Friends. Barney hasn’t really been around since his show ended in 2010, but it looks like he could be coming back in the form of an arthouse movie?
According to Variety, The Bear star Ayo Edebiri is currently set to write and possibly star in a Barney movie for A24. Besides Edebiri, the movie is said to be produced by Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) in partner with Mattel Films.
Mattel chief franchise officer Josh Silverman said about the movie, “We’re very much hand in glove and in concert… And Robbie Brenner, who leads our film division, who’s just incredible, she and I spent a ton of time together talking about this. We want to have a clear narrative. In the case here, the ‘Barney’ film will be what it’s ultimately going to be, and this show, we felt that, we want to remain consistent to the authenticity. That’s really, really important. If it’s not authentic, we’re not going to do it. We want to remain consistent to the authenticity, the DNA of “Barney,” but we also want to modernize.”
Barney had originally been a live-action show with Barney being a felt mascot (like Big Bird from Sesame Street). The series had premiered on 1988 and ran for 14 seasons before ultimately ending in November 2010.
The latest iteration of the character though, was introduced in animated form back in 2024 with Max’s Barney’s World which featured a returning Barney with a new design alongside his other dinosaur friends. Here’s a look at the series:
It’s not clear yet what Edebiri’s movie is going to look like, but some fans know that the A24 brand comes with certain expectations. Then again, the studio has made kid-friendly products before like 2021’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.
No release date has been announced for the Barney movie.
