The British actor said in a statement Friday that he is "excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of 'I love you, you love me' can stand the test of time.
"Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood,” Kaluuya added.
“Working with Daniel Kaluuya will enable us to take a completely new approach to Barney that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations,” added Mattel
Films' Robbie Brenner. “The project will speak to the nostalgia of the brand in a way that will resonate with adults, while entertaining today’s kids.”
Randall wrote: October 19th, 2019, 3:27 am
No. No. No.
And no.
As in "No, he didn't 'mysteriously disappear into the shadows', he ran for about twelve years on PBS, until the kids who used to watch him grew up and gave up on him", "No, there is no 'nostalgia' for the character", and "No, no one seriously says 'Subvert the audience's expectations' anymore."
We can expect this will probably be another backhanded deconstructionist spoof (like Mattel's Barbie movie?), and not a remake of '98's "Barney's Great Adventure".
What a dumb idea! As if having Daniel Kaluuya is suppose to be assuring. I wasn't really a fan back then, and I have no real nostalgia for that purple dinosaur.
It's like they saw the trailer for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and thought to themselves "Gee, let's do that with another PBS icon". No. It's far from the same connection. "will surprise audiences and subvert expectations" Well, it can't possibly be a gritty backstory where he went through something mental and that's why he wants to spread love"... cool as that might be!
ShyViolet wrote: October 20th, 2019, 1:38 pm
Yeah, I remember that review; I read it from the Ebert movie yearbook. It was really cute and tongue-in-cheek at the same time.
Maybe I'm confusing it with another review, but I seemed to remember Ebert, in his easy-reader style, adding "Barney seems to laugh a lot. I don't know what he laughs about."
I don’t think it was the Barney one, I actually just re-read that and saved it (it was even funnier than I remember!); it kinda sounds like it came from another review on a cheaply made kid’s film. Ebert’s clever (and never overly-ironic) reviews of not-so-great films always had so many stand-out lines.
There’s actually a whole book out there filled with ONLY his one star ones: “I hated hated hated this movie”. (That line is actually from his review of the 90s Elijah Wood comedy North. lol)
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!
The theatrical adaptation was announced back in 2019. No casting details or release date have been announced, and plot details are scarce. Producer David Carrico hopes it will "get 'I love you, you love me' stuck in heads everywhere, yet again."
Black Panther and Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya said at the time, "Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood. We're excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of 'I love you, you love me' can stand the test of time."
"Working with Daniel Kaluuya will enable us to take a completely new approach to Barney that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations," Robbie Brenner, head of Mattel films, previously said.
As someone who grew up with Barney, I'm amused by how every article clarifies this is going to be a live-action movie when Barney has always been in live-action.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."
gaastra wrote: October 21st, 2020, 8:25 am
Update on darker barney movie! "i love you" song is now sung by a depressed and sad barney knowing the world hates him!
Really.
Looks like someone got a little re-boost of confidence after watching the Banana Splits Movie.
)
