Something tells me there’s going to be a “Veronica Mars” movie at some point in the not too distant future. The TV show that aired from 2004 to 2007 put the rabid in “rabid fanbase,” and the pleas for a movie have not gotten any quieter with the passing years.
Creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell launched a Kickstarter campaign today to raise money for the project, with a goal of $2 million in 30 days. Half a day into the campaign, and fans have pledged $1.5 million – so far. There’s still 30 days to go.
One guy even pledged $10K for a speaking part (see below – there was only one spot open for this option, and he nabbed it). FULL DISCLOSURE: I pledged $10. It’s all I could afford, but hey, if everyone pledges $10, then we’ll get those Hobbits and Bollywood dancers (again, see below).
If the goal is met, a “Veronica Mars” movie would begin shooting this summer and get a limited theatrical release in early 2014, with VOD, iTunes and other online platforms to follow.
Holy smackers, that’s soon! I don’t know if I can wrap my head around that so fast! So what could we expect from a movie? Well, we’re looking at Veronica’s 10-year high school reunion, for one thing.
“Life has taken Veronica away from Neptune,” Thomas writes. “In the years since spoiling Keith’s chances to be reelected sheriff, Veronica hasn’t taken a case, but something big is about to bring her back home and back to her calling. My goal is to include as many of your favorite characters as possible. It is, after all, time for Veronica’s 10-year high school reunion.”
Thomas continues, “Keep in mind that the more money we raise, the cooler movie we can make. A two million dollar fundraising total probably means cross words are exchanged at the class reunion. Three million? We can afford a full-on brawl. Ten million? Who knows …”
Oh, the places they’d go with ten million bucks, says Thomas. “For some reason the Neptune High class reunion takes place on a nuclear submarine! A Hobbit shows up! There’s a Bollywood end-credit dance number! I’ve always wanted to direct Bill Murray. We’ll figure out something cool. Hey, if that total goes high enough, I’ll bet the good folks at Warner Bros. will agree a sequel is a good idea.”
Depending on funding, Thomas is contemplating a range of shooting locations, including Los Angeles, Vancouver, Baton Rouge, La., and San Diego, Calif.
Message received! Even if their goal is met, we need to keep donating and getting other people to donate. After all, how else are they going to entice A-List actress Amanda Seyfried for one last Lily Kane apparition? And who knows? Maybe even Leighton Meester, Alyson Hannigan, Laura San Giacomo, Ed Begley Jr., Jaime Ray Newman, Steve Guttenberg, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Krysten Ritter and Max Greenfield.
To entice you to donate even beyond the payoff of a movie, Bell and Thomas are offering rewards:
- $10 – a PDF of the shooting script
- $500 – a personalized voicemail from Kristen Bell
- $10K – a part in the movie
- And More!
And if you’re hoping for a Veronica/Logan pairing, it could happen, although, as Thomas points out, in noir “there aren’t a lot of happy endings.”
Hey, we’ve been waiting a long, long, long time. Don’t muck it up, people!
Make your pledge here, and watch the video appeal they filmed last winter featuring Bell, Thomas, Ryan Hansen, Jason Dohring, and Enrico Colatoni.
UPDATE. Got this email from Rob at 5:44 a.m., March 14, 2013:
Holy cow, what a day. As of 4 a.m. CT, we’re just over $2.5M dollars. We couldn’t be happier. We really couldn’t. My wife says I’m insufferable, but she said that four days ago in anticipation of a day like today.
A couple important announcements. First, please know we are trying to make international donations a possibility. We are running into a couple thorny issues, but we want it to happen. It might take a week or two before we have an answer, but keep checking back. Know that we hear you, and we’re trying our best.
We can’t believe we’ve topped out on so many of our bigger reward packages. We’re working on coming up with some new high end rewards. This might also take a few days, but more will appear.
Lastly, thousands of questions have come in through the Kickstarter site. We’re making our way through them. They will all get answered, but it may take a few days. A lot of them are real stumpers.
Thank you so much,
Rob
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