Following largely positive response to his teaser for a darker take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Benjamin Eck has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund his short film TMNT: Banished.

In the live-action fan film, Raphael banished by Splinter after his “uncontrollable violence” begins to pose a threat to his family. Accompanied by Casey Jones, he takes refuge in Los Angeles, where “he will quickly discover that he’s not New York City’s only secret hiding on the West Coast.”

"Our vision is not intended to spite Michael Bay or Paramount's depiction of the Turtles," Eick writes on the campaign page. "It's not about practical versus digital, it's not about redesigning them from the ground up, it's simply about achieving a darker vision. One where highly dangerous ninja weapons are showcased doing the damage they've always been capable of. Raph is a trained ninja assassin and that's how we intend to portray him."

He's seeking $75,000 to cover cast, crew, equipment rental, costumes, props, location fees and other expenses (Eick offers a peek at James Brunner's character designs). TMNT: Banished is targeting a summer production start ahead of a fall release.