More than a quarter of a century after the Robin Williams–starring Hook first hit theaters, one of its most memorable characters finally has a prequel of his very own. The Kickstarter-funded short film Bangarang acts as an origin story for Rufio, the beloved, spikey-haired character whose death moved a generation to tears, showing how he handled a difficult childhood, filled with bullies and the looming prospect of his mother being deported, before flying off to Neverland.
As unauthorized fan films go, this one has a substantial claim to authenticity: Hook writer J.V. Hart and Dante Basco, the original Rufio, are both part of the producing team, with Basco even making a small cameo. The actor—who is also known for voicing Zuko on Avatar: the Last Airbender—spoke to the Washington Post about Rufio’s legacy in light of the new short film, calling the role he played as a teenager both “a blessing and a curse”:
Some people have such strong memories of me as a young actor, that it’s hard to see me as anything else. But everyone comes to Hollywood hoping to get a role people are going to remember them for, and I get girls saying I was their first crush, or Asian guys saying Rufio was the first time they saw an Asian kid on-screen that wasn’t nerdy or stereotypical, so I was lucky the character that resonated was cool.
Jonah Feingold, who directed the short, is also working on a modern-day rom-com about an adult Wendy, reports the Post. Fans of the original Hook will want to stick around for Bangarang’s post-credits scene.
