Bangarang! Dante Basco, who played Rufio in Hook starring Robin Williams, has launched a Kickstarter to make a prequel film about the character.
Hook is a classic Peter Pan story brought to life by the late and great Robin Williams, but one of its instant stars was also Dante Basco, who played the cunning and sometimes troublesome Rufio.
And what better way to show that love and continue his legacy than to give him his own short film that explores his past, before Hook got involved?
The actor has launched a Kickstarter to fund the project, titled Bangarang, which he will be executive producing.
The synopsis for the film is as follows:
This is the story about Rufio, before the mohawk, before Neverland, before he was The Pan.
Roofus is a 13-year-old kid who is destined to be more than he is. After his mother is forced to put him into a foster home, he and his rag-tag group of best friends — a Jamaican boy named Julani and a bright-eyed Latina force of nature named Ella — find a way for Roofus to escape his ill fate, find his happy thought and fulfill his destiny.
The story has been reverse engineered from what was set up in Hook. We answer all the questions you’ve ever wondered — how and why is Rufio the leader of the Lost Boys? Where does “bangarang” come from? And of course, how he gets the mohawk.
The project already seems like a fun-filled, diverse short film based on a character that the actor still cares about even to this day. Fans of the original — and fans of the actor, who has also famously voiced Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender — will surely be interested in lending their support.
The project is trying to raise $30,000 over 30 days to fund the short film. The deadline is March 14.
But there’s even better news for those who love the idea of this story. If the project can raise $200,000, they’ll make into into a feature film!
Visit their Kickstarter and watch their short intro video!