The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri Set to Write and Star in Live-Action Barney Movie

Ayo Edebiri is going from The Bear to the purple dinosaur.

The Emmy winner will write the screenplay for the new live-action Barney movie, A24 confirmed on social media. And in addition to writing the film—a project from the indie distributor as well as Mattel Films, and Daniel Kaluuya’s 59% Productions—she is also in talks to star. 

While best known for her role as chef Sydney Adamu on The Bear, Ayo—who graduated from NYU with a Dramatic Writing degree in 2017—will return to her writing roots. In fact, the Barney film will only add to her long list of writing credits, which include Sunnyside, Dickinson, Big Mouth and What We Do in the Shadows.

While the plot of the movie is being kept under wraps, viewers can expect to see a live-action version of the title character in a movie made for adults—although not rated R—similar to the box-office hit Barbie. As Mattel exec Kevin McKeon emphasized to The New Yorker in 2023, “We want to stay within the parameters of what Mattel is.”