Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz On Barney Film: “It Will Not Be An Odd Movie”
deadline.comMattel CEO Ynon Kreiz is weighing in on the forthcoming Barney film that has Daniel Kaluuya attached. “It’s too early to be specific, but I can tell you we are taking a fresh approach that will be fun, entertaining and culturally oriented.
It will not be an odd movie,” Kreiz told Semafor in an interview. Mattel is leaning in on producing films based on their IP and earlier this year Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon teased that the Barney film would be “surrealistic.” “We’re leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids,” McKeon said in an interview with The New Yorker. “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.” Following the success of Barbie, Kreiz said the Greta Gerwig-film was “part of a holistic strategy, a multi-year strategy, to capture value from our intellectual property.” Other films Mattel is developing include a Hot Wheels film with J.J.
Abrams, a Matchbox Cars project with Skydance, a Major Matt Mason movie with Tom Hanks, a Polly Pocket film by Lena Dunham starring Lily Collins and Vin Diesel with Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
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