Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon says the upcoming Barney movie is not necessarily going to be aimed at kids. Produced by Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, Barney is based on the purple dinosaur of the same name, a beloved childhood character created by Mattel. Kaluuya has said he wants to explore the themes of Barney as a whole, seeing if they hold up to this day.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Speaking with The New Yorker, McKeon says Kaluuya’s upcoming Barney film is not going to be made for children. He says that, while the film won’t be rated R, it will lean more toward adult audiences, in particular millennials. Check out what McKeon had to say below:

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 30-something, growing up with Barney—just the level of disenchantment within the generation.

Everything We Know About The Barney Movie

McKeon also described the Barney movie as “surrealistic,” saying A24-produced films were a major influence in making the movie. While there are no plot details yet about the Barney movie, McKeon’s description indicates it won’t be anything like the educational series. Instead, it appears the Barney movie will be exploring the idea of Barney the Dinosaur through a more adult, possibly critical lens.

Mattel producing adult-oriented films based on their children’s properties seems to be their current filmmaking strategy. The upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling will be rated PG-13, despite Barbie dolls being aimed at children. It seems that Mattel wants to use the nostalgia of their toy properties to draw older audiences in, creating films that dare to critique their own franchises.

With Barney set to be much different from the children’s TV series, those who grew up watching the series will most likely enjoy the upcoming movie. Just like Barbie, Barney will no doubt be full of references to the franchise while also telling a unique story for audiences to enjoy. How adult-oriented Barney will be won’t be clear until the film gets released at some point in the future.

Source: The New Yorker