At this point, outsider artist Daniel Johnston is probably more legendary than anyone thought he’d be, anyone apart from himself, maybe.

While there’s already a very good documentary that charts (and definitely aided) his ascent in 2005’s The Devil and Daniel Johnston, filmmaker and actor Gabriel Sunday has put together a narrative short film starring Johnston that looks like it could be just as crucial.

Beginning with Johnston recounting his memories, the film then dips into fiction, going back in time and featuring Sunday as a young Daniel Johnston meeting real-life versions of his unmistakable macabre illustrations. It’s an ambitious idea certainly, and seems to have captured the imagination of a number of high profile stars.

Rapper Mac Miller has donated a massive $10,000 to the project via Kickstarter and received Daniel Johnston’s illustrated chord organ for doing so – he even offered to help with the soundtrack, but there’s no word on whether that’s actually happening or not. He at least seemed to be very pleased with the outcome, scoring a tattoo of one of Daniel Johnson’s iconic drawings in celebration. Lana Del Rey also contributed funds to the film, and will receive an Executive Producer tag for her donation.

You can check out the film’s excellent Kickstarter pitch below. [via The Masked Gorilla]