The Veronica Mars Movie

So, wowsers. Writer/creator Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars and Party Down launched a Kickstarter a few hours ago to make a movie for the former. For those who don't know, Veronica Mars was a brilliant little TV show in 2004 that lasted just three seasons. It was basically a noir set in a California high school (sort of like Brick, but usually lighter and without the weird linguistics). There were the standard Mysteries of the Week, but also really great season-long mysteries that unfolded and expanded more year-over-year, too.

The titular character was played by Kristen Bell in what ended up being her breakout role, and the cast was well-suited to the material. Really well written, and really well-acted. It doesn't always sound like much on paper, but the mysteries were just really solid, and the performances really good. Highly recommended.

Anyway, Thomas launched the Kickstarter this morning with a target goal of $2 million, which is a huge amount for a Kickstarter, but a very small amount for any kind of movie (though I imagine there'll be raising more funds from other sources to supplement). It passed $260,000 as I was writing this, and it's been up less than half a day. I'm sure the donations will be somewhat front-loaded, but it's a great start.



I'm definitely giving at least the $35 amount to secure a digital copy of the film after it's released. How about you, MoFos? Anyone else a fan of the show, excited to see this, and/or thinking of donating? Anyone just excited about the idea of a mainstream production utilizing crowdfunding on this kind of scale?

Okay, 32 minutes after I posted this and it's up another $200,000.

Is this the first time such a big project is trying to finance itself (for a part) through this system of mass funding? I think it's very creative.

No, there've been maybe a dozen bigger ones. But it's mostly other miscellaneous products (watches, 3D printers, etc.) or video games. A movie--particularly from a mainstream, existing property--is a pretty new thing, I think, especially with all the talk and speculation about how the industry is evolving. I'll bet a fair number of people are supporting it just to back the medium in general, given its obviously high profile.

It's up another $200,000 since my last post, too. Might break a million today alone.

If this has a lot of succes, I think this may become a new trend of funding movies. As an economy student, I will certainly follow the evolution of this project.

Likewise. I think it'll have success, and I do think it's important, but I think people are going to take too much from it. People will treat this like some sort of crucial turning point, but the show had a devout fan base and got to air over 60 episodes on network television, and Kristen Bell's had a big career since.

People started talking about sea changes when Louis C.K. sold his standup special at the Beacon Theater directly to consumers, too, and that was great. But I suspect this stuff is still only plausible for a handful of higher-end properties. We're still a long way from random projects from nobodies getting major funding, if that ever happens. So as sure as this is an important event, I'd say it's just as sure that people are going to read way too much into it, too. There'll be some high-profile failures before long, no doubt, and countless low-profile ones.

Not to rain on the parade. I'm super psyched about this, especially now that it looks quite likely to achieve its funding goal even if it slows considerably from here on out.

I watched the first season of Veronica Mars and thought it was pretty good. Like you said, it was well-written, had good characters, and the acting was solid. For some reason, the 2nd season just felt like it had a completely different tone and I stopped watching after a couple of episodes. It's still a show I look back on fondly, though. I'm not sure if I'm going to contribute to the Kickstarter, but the descriptions of the Kickstarter prizes are pretty amusing.

I'm actually looking forward to it, because I like Kristin Bell as an actress, but besides Forgetting Sarah Marshall, she just does really bad movies (I'm looking at you, When in Rome). At least this one will likely be well-written, and she'll have a good character to play.

I just want to say that they already raised $2,246,119. They reached their goal after only 11 hours. That's absolutely fascinating.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/03/13/ve...o-kickstarter/

Yep. And they're up to $2.6 million after less than a day.

The donations have already slowed, but they're talking about putting up other big rewards, since the existing ones have all been claimed. So they'll keep coming in (I'm definitely, definitely donating, too). Really hard to say where it'll land. Easy to imagine it just sort of crawling the rest of the way and finishing shy of $4 million, but I think it's probably going to top $5 million or more when all's said and done. Especially if the new rewards are any good.

EDIT: C'mon, Sedai. I know you're flipping out over this.

HUGE Veronica fan. I was excited to see the news about the upcoming film, and I hope this project goes the distance!

EDIT - Guess they made it - 2.6 MILLION in ONE day.

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Just one day for the goal, eh? Just goes to show that fans will truly support the things they love

Now other people are wanting to do this. Including one that I would support, Pushing Daisies.

Yeah, that's one of the few other examples that really makes almost as much sense as Veronica Mars.

So, obviously this has slowed, but it's over $4.3 million with another 12 days to go. And I just donated $35. Happy to be a part of it, and it's not a bad deal for a t-shirt, a copy of the shooting script, and a digital copy of the film shortly after its release.

I thought Veronica Mars sucked. The star looked like she was pushing thirty.

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It reminds me of a toilet paper on the trees
- Paula

No it didn't. No she didn't.

Just a little over two days left, and they just passed the $5 million mark. This was the number Rob Thomas said he had in mind as a higher-end goal when they started, so this is definitely good news.

They sent out two t-shirt designs that the donors of at least $35 will get to choose from. They're pretty cool.

Anyway, if any of you were on the fence or wanted to come back and contribute later, this is your last chance.

I donated $35 myself. Veronica's ''office'' exterior shot is right up the street from my old apartment in Normal Heights , San Diego.

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r66-The member who always asks WHY?

Woohoo, today's the today! Anyone who backed the Kickstarter to the tune of $35 or more gets a digital copy of the film today, and everyone can see it in select theaters.

Pretty excited, not just because it should be a lot of fun to watch, but because this is the model I've been hoping would catch on--higher upfront costs in exchange for direct digital delivery on release. I hope this ends up showing a higher level of demand for this than previously thought.

Anyway, the wife and I are watching a quick sampler of the show (on Amazon Prime) to prep. I'd forgotten how good it was.

So good! I am excited to see this...