Daniel Kaluuya statue to be installed in central London
The ‘Get Out’ star has been voted the actor people most want to see in Leicester Square
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A statue of Daniel Kaluuya will be erected in central London to celebrate his performance in Get Out.
The Queen & Slim actor, 35, earned a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars in 2017 for his starring role in Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed racial satire hit, which has been applauded for its satirical commentary on racism in America.
Kaluuya, was chosen from a poll of 5,000 British film fans as the actor people would most like to see recognised with a new statue in Leicester Square, winning one fifth of the vote.
The Judas and the Black Messiah actor will join a collection of figures, including Harry Potter, Batman, Wonder Woman, Marry Poppins and Gene Kelly as part of the “Scenes in the Square” trail.
Recent additions to the Scenes in the Square trail have included the Game of Thrones iron throne, Indiana Jones and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Kaluuya’s statue will be unveiled in October and depict the “Sunken Place” scene in Get Out where the actor’s character falls into a fugue state. Variety reports the artwork will represent modern cinematic success and homegrown talent.
“We are excited to welcome Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ to our Scenes in the Square line-up as a celebration of a modern cinematic success and homegrown British talent,” Mark Williams, deputy chief executive for Heart of London Business Alliance, which runs ‘Scenes in the Square’ with support from Westminster City Council, told the publication.
“It points to a bright future for our trail, with Kaluuya as a chosen symbol of the future of entertainment, and it is a pleasure to be able to spotlight such a pioneering film.”
Kaluuya is currently working on the Barney movie, based on the purple dinosaur from the enduring Nineties kids’ series, Barney & Friends.
Mattel executive Kevin McKeon said of the film: “We’re leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids.”
“It’s really a play for adults. Not that it’s R-rated, but it’ll focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being 30-something, growing up with Barney – just the level of disenchantment within the generation.”
While updates on the project have been few and far between, Kaluuya told Yahoo Entertainment this year that he was focusing on finding the right script.
“The script’s gotta be good, you know what I mean? It’s in development,” Kaluuya said. “I ask for high standards on anything that I work on, and I’m producing this one, so it’s still in development.”
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