Ayo Edebiri Tapped To Write Live-Action Barney Movie For Mattel, A24; Also In Talks To Star

Momentum is gaining on A24‘s live-action Barney movie from Mattel Films and Daniel Kaluuya’s 59% Productions, as the companies have set Emmy and Golden Globe winner Ayo Edebiri to write the screenplay and also have her in talks to star.

First announced in 2019, the film’s plot is being kept under wraps. Kevin McKeon and Andrew Scannell are overseeing for Mattel Films, with Robbie Brenner producing for Mattel, along with A24, as well as Kaluuya and Rowan Riley for 59% Productions.  

A purple dinosaur who has been a staple of children’s television for decades, Barney was first introduced to the world via direct-to-video series Barney & the Backyard Gang in 1988, breaking out as a global sensation with the series Barney & Friends, which aired for 14 seasons on PBS between 1992 and 2010.

In a July 2023 interview with The New Yorker, Mattel exec Kevin McKeon revealed that the live-action Barnie would be adult-oriented and “surrealistic,” in the vein of films by Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze.

“We’re leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids,” the executive said at the time. “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 thirtysomething, growing up with Barney—just the level of disenchantment within the generation.”

Several months later, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz gave his own remarks on the project, telling Semafor that the company would be “taking a fresh approach” to the character that will be “fun, entertaining and culturally oriented.” At the same time, he made a point of noting that the live-action Barney “will not be an odd movie.”

One of today’s most in-demand rising talents, Edebiri is best known for starring on FX’s The Bear, which is heading into its fourth season, and with her work on the series, has made her behind-the-camera ambitions clear. She earned a DGA Award nomination for her directorial debut in Season 3 and has also written on high-profile series like What We Do in the Shadows and Dickinson.

Recently voicing Envy in Inside Out 2, Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time, Edebiri will next be seen starring opposite John Malkovich in A24’s cult thriller Opus, which premiered at Sundance and will be released in theaters on March 14. She also stars opposite Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in the buzzy thriller After the Hunt from Luca Guadagnino, which Amazon MGM releases on October 10.

On the heels of its success with Barbie, Mattel has entered production on a Matchbox film, starring John Cena, for Apple, as well as a live-action Masters of the Universe, starring Nicholas Galitzine, for Amazon. Currently, the company is also developing numerous other features based on its iconic IP, including American Girl, Hot Wheels, Bob the Builder, Magic 8 Ball, Major Matt Mason, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, View-Master, and Wishbone. Mattel Films is also developing Christmas Balloon, a holiday family drama based on all-new IP.

Edebiri is represented by Range Media Partners, CAA, and Del Shaw Moonves.