Daniel Kaluuya says Barney movie is still in development because of 'high standards'

Watch: Spider-Verse star Daniel Kaluuya shares Barney movie update

Daniel Kaluuya's movie about Barney the Dinosaur is still happening, but he tells Yahoo UK it remains in development because of the actor's "high standards" for the product.

The film is being made by Kaluuya's production company 59% alongside toy company Mattel, who are also producing Greta Gerwig's Barbie film, and it was first announced in 2019.

Read more: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse review: Animated sequel is a veritable masterpiece

Since the announcement, the Get Out star described the forthcoming live-action film as "really heartbreaking" in 2022 but since then has revealed little about the project.

When meeting Yahoo UK to discuss his new film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Kaluuya explains to that the film continues to be in the development stage because he wants to make sure that the script is perfect.

"The script's gotta be good, you know what I mean? It's in development," he says.

"I ask for high standards on anything that I work on, and I'm producing this one, so it's still in development."

What to know about Daniel Kaluuya's Barney movie

It was in 2019 that Mattel first confirmed they were planning on making a live-action Barney movie about the purple dinosaur doll who was brought to life through the power of children's imagination.

At the time, Kaluuya said in his announcement: “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.”

Read more: Spider-Verse star Daniel Kaluuya addresses film's love triangle

In 2020, the actor said to EW that his ideas for the live-action film were going to be more emotional than viewers might have first expected.

He told the publication: "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."

Read more: Margot Robbie promises 'surprising' Barbie movie

Barney the dinosaur featured in the children's show Barney & Friends from 1992 to 2009, but despite being a hit with kids the show did have a dark past as depicted in the documentary I Love You, You Hate Me, which revealed some viewers hated the children's programme so much they would send death threats to one of the actors portraying Barney, Bob West.

It is currently unclear how the live-action Barney film might tackle the friendly dinosaur's story, but it seems it'll be a long way off before viewers will find out.

Watch the trailer for the Barbie movie.