Whether you like it or not, Barney the Dinosaur is ready for his comeback. The purple, pudgy T-Rex is back with a new look, a new cartoon, and, as you might expect, plenty of new merchandise, courtesy of Mattel. Barney’s World, an animated series featuring the characters from the original PBS series, is coming this fall. In addition, Barney will have a new voice, courtesy of actor Jonathan Langdon, whose appearance in the M. Night Shyamalan thrillerTrap made him a viral meme over the summer.
Barney’s World will premiere October 14 on Max, with a premiere on Cartoon Network on October 18. The first season will include 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, and select episodes will also be available to watch on YouTube, with the first episode premiering on October 11. The new series is a joint venture with Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The new series comes 15 years after the last original Barney & Friends episode aired in 2009. Max appears to be banking on familiarity and a bit of nostalgia to bring in young viewers. A trailer for the series was released on Wednesday, and reveals that the new series will remain fairly loyal to the original, with songs and stories geared towards the preschool crowd.
As the trailer shows, Baby Bop is back, along with her brother, who is now called Billy instead of B.J. (for obvious reasons). With Langdon voicing Barney, Jonathan Tan will voice Billy, Bryn McAuley will voice Baby Bop, Jayd Deroché voices David, Diana Tsoy voices Mel, and Ella Paciocco voices Vivie.
Who is Jonathan Langdon, the Voice of Barney?
Barney may be the biggest role yet for Jonathan Langdon, even though it will only be his voice. However, he has been acting for over a decade, mostly on camera, with his latest role in the M. Night Shyamalan thriller Trap. He also appeared in the series NOS4A2, Run the Burbs, Robyn Hood, Utopia Falls, and the Zombies TV movie series for Disney.
This summer, Langdon became the latest internet meme, thanks to his role in Trap. In the trailer for the film, Langdon’s character Jamie is shown explaining the entire police plan to trap a serial killer to Josh Hartnett’s character, who happens to be the killer. That started a meme trend in which a picture of Langdon from the film is accompanied by an explanation that spoils a trap or surprise, as shown below.
Barney & Friends ran for 13 seasons on PBS, from 1992 through 2009. That series featured a live-action Barney, with a man in a costume, and set on a playground with a group of children. The series is famous for giving several actors their first roles, including Selena Gomez, Debby Ryan, and Demi Lovato. This new series comes ahead of the Barney feature film that is also in development.
Barney’s World
premieres this October on Max, Cartoon Network, and YouTube.
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