Daniel Kaluuya Confirms His ‘Barney’ Movie Is Still Happening & It’s Darker Than The TV Show

2022 is a big year for Daniel Kaluuya. Next Friday, “NOPE,” his UFO-oriented reunion with horror maestro Jordan Peele, hits theaters. That film’s easily one of the most anticipated of the year, and if it’s anything like Peele’s last two films, it’ll be one of the year’s best, too. Unfortunately, Kaluuya confirmed earlier this week he won’t be in the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” due to a scheduling conflict with “NOPE.” But fear not, Kaluuya fans: the actor has other stuff on the way, including, yes, his “Barney” movie.

READ MORE: Daniel Kaluuya Won’t Be Back For ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

In a feature with The Hollywood Reporter, Kaluuya confirmed that “Barney” is still in the pipeline over at his production company 59%. However, the project is still in early development, with the script getting a rework before it heads into production. Kaluuya and 59% first announced “Barney” in 2019, and the project caught everyone off guard. The star of “Get Out” in a family-friendly kid’s movie? It sounds strange on paper, but Kaluuya finds the project resonates with him.

“My last number of films have been so aligned to kind of what I stand for as a man,” he told THR, “But there are a whole lot of things that I do as a man. I love kids’ films. How did everyone get into films? Watching kids’ films. I don’t want to restrict myself to the limitations of what I’m perceived as.” In other words, “Barney” might show audiences a whole new side to Kaluuya they aren’t aware of. The actor said he recognizes that audiences find him “a bit serious” and “a bit, not mysterious, but like I don’t give too much away.” So, will “Barney” show off Kaluuya’s sillier side?

Maybe, maybe not. Kaluuya also stressed to THR that his take on “Barney” wouldn’t be as simple as the purple dinosaur’s infamous “I love you, you love me” sing-along. Instead, he’s looking for a more nuanced approach to that song and Barney in the new film. Will “Barney” be a kid’s film for grown-ups or a kid’s film that doesn’t treat kids only as children but as emergent people with their dreams, fears, and doubts? The movie may sound like a bizarre match between Kaluuya and the old TV show, but maybe Kaluuya has something surprising in store for audiences.

“NOPE” hits theaters next Friday, July 22.