News of The Uncle Ruckus Movie, which was announced via the official Facebook page, comes almost two years after series star John Witherspoon originally revealed that The Boondocks had, in fact, been renewed for a twenty-episode fourth season. When season 4 will air in 2013 however, is still up in the air. Until then, it's time for Uncle Ruckus to shine.
You can read the official announcement below:
Those of you familiar with THE BOONDOCKS already know who Uncle Ruckus is. He's the hard-working, slur-spitting handyman you love to hate. If you're not familiar with Uncle Ruckus, it's difficult to even describe him without violating Kickstarter's hate speech policy.
If you do know who Uncle Ruckus is, you either really love him or really hate him. But if you’ve made it this far, you probably love him like we do. This is your movie.
To that end, we are raising funds for an R-rated theatrical comedy featuring Uncle Ruckus, to be produced this year. The movie will be written and directed by AARON MCGRUDER, and stars GARY ANTHONY WILLIAMS - who does the voice of Uncle Ruckus on the animated series. The story, which is currently being written, will not involve any of the other regular BOONDOCKS characters, but rather explore a part of the Ruckus family not seen in the show.
Although having to wait almost three years for a new season seems unheard of in today's age, fans of the Peabody award-winning hit series are all too familiar with lengthy gaps between seasons, as the average wait between each season so far has been two years. For season 4, however, the lengthy wait is nothing compared to the fact that a fourth season even exists at all.
In case you missed the most important part of the announcement: The story, which is currently being written, will not involve any of the other regular BOONDOCKS characters, but rather explore a part of the Ruckus family not seen in the show. So while Huey, Riley and Grandad won't be appearing in McGruder's planned film, there's always a slim chance that non-regular characters, like Thugnificent and Leonard, could make an appearance. Now, on to the questions... (with answers):
Why live-action and not animated?
"There’s always been interest in a live-action Boondocks movie, which to me was out of the question considering Huey and Riley are essentially impossible to cast. The animated feature would cost around 20 million, but a live action Uncle Ruckus movie could cost a fraction of that. So just for the hell of it we had the costume made and it was pretty amazing. To see Gary actually transform into Uncle Ruckus... it’s quite the surreal experience. I never expected the transition to be so completely seamless."
Why Kickstarter?
"First, because SONY (who produces THE BOONDOCKS animated series) is not involved with this project in any way. In fact, there are no investors, corporate or otherwise, involved with the movie as of this moment. This whole thing is kind of an odd idea, so we're starting with Kickstarter on this one and we'll just see what happens.
Crowd funding, however, is a big deal. It represents an entirely new relationship between fan and creator. It also represents a new financial model for making stuff, and that’s exciting.
Uncle Ruckus has a lot of supporters out there. If they want this to happen, they can make it happen."
Of course, with any Kickstarter campaign, there are always the perks - and, as expected, McGruder has delivered. With tiers ranging from the Honey Boo-Boo level to the Ronald Reagan (666) level, fans can choose to donate between $1 to $10,000 and end up with rewards ranging from an original Uncle Ruckus track, a DVD pre-order (Clint Eastwood level - $25) or even a producer credit, which comes with tickets to the premiere as well as a role in the film.
If, by chance, The Uncle Ruckus film doesn't receive all of its $200,000 funding, all perks will still be delivered to the recipients, and an Uncle Ruckus Saves America mockumentary will be produced in its place.
Although the announcement of an Uncle Ruckus movie may not have been the news of that fans wanted to hear today, the fact that a live-action movie is currently planned means that there will be more, not less, of The Boondocks coming your way. Now that it has been revealed that season 4 will premiere (sometime) in 2013, a live-action movie is just making its return (in any form) that much more anticipated.
But seriously... when is The Boondocks season 4 going to premiere?
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The Boondocks season 4 on Adult Swim in 2013
The Uncle Ruckus Movie is set to premiere March 2014
Source: Facebook