Dante Basco Wants to Make a Rufio Prequel
Rufio, a name an entire generation cannot say without causing some sort of disturbance. Rufio was an original character added to the Peter Pan mythos by Steven Spielberg in his classic 1991 film Hook. Played by Dante Basco (Prince Zuko, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jake Long, American Dragon: Jake Long), Rufio became a hero to a new generation of fans, but primarily to the young Asian generation. The great news is that Basco would like to resurrect Rufio and bring him back to a whole new generation and return him to those who already knew him and loved him. Basco has started a Kickstarter campaign to bring Rufio back in a short fan film. The film will be called Bangarang; the synopsis on the Kickstarter page 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.”
Donations have surpassed the initial $30 000 goal with only 21 days left. Basco and his team, would like to reach $200 000, a goal is likely to be reached. The team consists of executive producer Rawn Ericson III, director/writer Jonah Feingold, writer/producer Jeremy Dylan, producer Luke Lenza, cinematographer Ben Mullen, production designer, Natalia Brito, and composer Tim Callobre.
The page also includes a casting call for Roofus, Ella and Julani, with illustrations of the characters and an email to send headshots and tapes. The campaign is open until March 14th. The film is not intended for commercial use and Basco will distribute the film via his Youtube channel.
Image via TriStar Pictures
Bangarang is benefiting from the renewed interest in Peter Pan in recent years, ABC’s Once Upon A Time introduced Pan, Hook, Neverland, and soon Tiger Lily. NBC produced the live-musical Peter Pan Live!. Warner Bros released a reimagined origin story, Pan. And Disney had announced plans for a live-action Peter Pan. Bangarang is positioned perfectly to entice the film gods in investing in a Rufio centric film.
What do you think about this development? Could Rufio be as big as Peter Pan? Also please visit the Kickstarter page for more info and if you can give a contribution!
Source: Kickstarter. Indiewire.
