Kickstarted Veronica Mars film moves forward

It was a story that inspired many hopeful filmmakers and genre fans alike. The beloved show Veronica Mars launched a Kickstarter campaign that made $2 million in under twelve hours, and it resurrected the much beloved program from the dead.

Not only has this shown the power of Kickstarter, but it also made fans hopeful that the crowdfunding service could help bring other shows back, like Firefly. (Imagine if we had Kickstarter in the late sixties with Star Trek.)

Now as the Hollywood Reporter tells us, the Kickstarter campaign has made over $4.4 million as of April 2, and it stands to make even more in the next ten days, which is when the campaign is due to wrap up. 

Mars creator Rob Thomas has told his Kickstarter backers, “We now have three actors officially cast. Veronica. Logan and the waiter who says, ‘Your check, sir.’ We’re busily working on bringing your favorites into the fold. As a Veronica Mars backer, you’ll be the first to know. 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.”

The Veronica Mars Kickstarter page also gives a brief storyline for the upcoming film, where Veronica’s father hasn’t been re-elected as sheriff, “But something big is about to bring her back home and back to her calling.” Thomas admitted that how he structures the film will be dictated by the budget. Like anybody else making a low budget film through the help of Kickstarter, Thomas won’t be directing the film from the backseat of his limo. 

Thomas told Entertainment Weekly his fee will be Director’s Guild minimum, and he added, “No one is getting big upfront money. Trust me Kristen [Bell] is not getting paid close to her quote, or anywhere near. We’re all working for labor of love prices.”

So again, this has given a lot of hope, and we’re also seeing a lot of established Hollywood filmmakers, like Thomas and David Fincher, going to crowdfunding for help for their favorite projects these days. It remains to be seen if Kickstarter will launch a big revolution in filmmaking, but this could indeed be the spark that lights the fuse in a big way.