Daniel Kaluuya confirmed his production company, 59%, is still working on a live-action film of Barney, the iconic purple dinosaur. As THR reveals, the project is still in the early stages of development, with 59% reworking a script before setting a production schedule.

Kaluuya has his first major role as the protagonist of Get Out, Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed directorial debut. The movie gave Kaluuya an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, a recognition that helped him navigate Hollywood at a moment when he was thinking about giving up acting. After Get Out, Kaluuya got a role in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther and won an Oscar for Best Actor due to his fantastic work in Judas and the Black Messiah. Now, Kaluuya is once more working with Peele on NOPE, an upcoming horror movie about alien invasions and society’s addiction to spectacle.

While Kaluuya’s is one impressive career, none of his previous work scream “family friendly.” On the contrary! So, when 59% announced a live-action Barney movie in 2019, we wondered why Kaluuya would tackle such a project. Kaluuya says he’s aware people perceive him as “a bit serious.” However, the Barney movie he’s producing might help show people a whole new side of the star. As Kaluuya puts it:

“My last number of films have been so aligned to kind of what I stand for as a man. 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.”

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Image via Universal Pictures

RELATED: 'Barney the Dinosaur' Documentary in the Works at Peacock

It sounds like Kaluuya is determined to make his Barney movie a reality because the new comments on the project align with how the producer has previously described the film. In a 2020 interview for EW, Kaluuya said:

“Barney taught us, 'I love you, you love me. Won't you say you love me too?' That's one of the first songs I remember, and what happens when that isn't true? I thought that was really heartbreaking. I have no idea why but it feels like that makes sense. It feels like there's something unexpected that can be poignant but optimistic. Especially at this time now, I think that's really, really needed.”

So, while the idea of a Barney movie produced by Get Out’s star might be weird, it sounds like Kaluuya wants to give a new emotional spin to the purple dinosaur. And as wacky as the concept sounds, we would be lying if we said we are not intrigued. Unfortunately, there’s no release window for Kaluuya’s Barney film.

Kaluuya will be back at theaters when NOPE premieres on July 22, 2022. Refresh your memory on Barney's most iconic tune below: