In 2005, controversial cartoonist Aaron McGruder adapted his syndicated comic strip The Boondocks into an edgy and outrageous cartoon series for Cartoon's Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim. The four-season series satirized African-American culture as well as life in suburbia with a biting sense of humor and kinetic animation style. Now, he's looking to take The Boondocks to the big screen with a live-action movie centered on one of its most polarizing characters.
His name is Uncle Ruckus, and he is an ugly, fat and rage-filled self-hating black man who regularly riles Huey, Riley and their granddad with his insane racist rhetoric. He's so thoroughly repellant that it's impossible to imagine a studio backing a spin-off movie centered around him, which is why McGruder is taking to Kickstarter. Check out his fundraising video below and get a little taste of live-action Ruckus:
McGruder, who recently wrote the screenplay for the Tuskegee Airmen historical drama Red Tails, will write and direct the feature, which he says would be much cheaper than attempting an animated Boondocks movie. The Uncle Ruckus movie would feature no other characters from the show (McGruder claims casting Huey and Riley would be impossible) and instead would explore a branch of the Ruckus family that the show never touched on.
But who will play Uncle Ruckus? Gary Anthony Williams, seen above. Remarkably, he provided the character's voice on the series, but is perhaps best-known for playing Abe Kenarban, the sweet but oft-flustered father of Stevie on Malcolm in the Middle. Clearly, the man has range.
Crowdfunding will make up only part of the film's financing. So McGruber is asking fans for $200,000, of which he's already made $10,000. There are donation incentives ranging from a DVD of the eventual movie to t-shirts, calendars, and even a call from Uncle Ruckus himself. Moreover, the interest the site stimulates will only make this risky project more palatable to possible film financiers. But even with Django Unchained and Samuel L. Jackson's self-loathing Stephen character, is the world ready for an Uncle Ruckus movie? If you say yes, put your money where your mouth is.
