It looks like a Veronica Mars movie will be coming to a theaters near you in 2014.  After a record-breaking month of Kickstarter donations, the feature adaptation of Rob Thomas’ (Party Down) beloved cult TV series has the funding to go into production.  The original goal of $2 million was surpassed in just the first day, but Thomas himself had a personal hope that they would reach $5 million by the end of the month.  While not everyone was fully behind the idea of using Kickstarter to fund the film, it is undeniable that this project shows the power of the fans and viewers.  If there is a dedicated following behind a TV show or film, they would be willing to move mountains and open up their wallets to see unfinished stories get that last chapter.

The Veronica Mars movie has commitments from stars Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring, but hopefully we can also see other cast members such as Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Ryan Hansen, and Tina Majorino in the mix.  Hit the jump for more on the project. 

The kickstarter for the Veronica Mars movie has currently brought in $4.5 million, more than twice the minimum goal for the project.  There’s still one week left for people to donate, and Rob Thomas provided an update on where they’re currently at.  Thomas says he’s finished the first draft of the movie, but still wanted to emphasize that the script was contingent on how much money they raise.  Thomas said that $2 million was enough to get the project a green-light, and because it was a believable goal.  However, he also wanted to make clear that more money means more options like a longer running time, more shooting days, and the ability shoot in Southern California, which is where they shot the series.  However, some of the money will go to fulfilling all of the donation rewards and shipping costs, but Thomas wouldn’t provide an estimate on the percentage.

Hit the jump for Thomas’ full statement.  He also promises that “in the final week there will be daily announcements and new rewards, plus some more chances at a few sold-out reward levels. He also says to keep an eye out for the official T-shirt designs to be unveiled.”

Rob Thomas isn’t being overly coy with fans when it comes to the plot of the new Veronica Mars movie, which is probably for the best since 57,257 fans (so far) are paying for that movie to exist.  Thomas has previously hinted that the new film will involve Veronica’s 10-year high school reunion, and in a recent interview with TV Line, he confirmed that will be the setting since that allows him to bring back as many characters as possible.

Hit the jump for other details on the film including what Veronica has been up to since we last saw her, the boyfriend she’ll be bringing to Neptune, characters who won’t be coming back, and more.

We’ve voiced our concerns about the Veronica Mars movie kickstarter, and part of that has to do with a lack of details regarding how it will use the millions of dollars in donations the project has received.  The film met its goal of $2 million in record time, and the film has currently received $3.6 million in donations with 24 days to go.  Writer-director Rob Thomas assures fans that he won’t be taking their money and then going silent when the film shoots this summer.  Thomas says “We were built by fans so we’ll try to do our best to keep the momentum going through that,” and THR reports that he’s “promising an open shoot with plenty of tweets and photos transmitted to the internet.”  Furthermore, Thomas hopes to bring some footage to Comic-Con, and will release a documentary following the film.

Hit the jump for more on what Thomas has planned for the film based on how much money he receives.

I’ve patiently waited for the opportunity to include Veronica Mars in the Top 5. As one of my favorite pop culture artifacts, I’m thrilled that this past week has finally afforded me the chance. That said, I’ll reserve any and all debate regarding the impact and merit of its now famed Kickstarter campaign for after the jump. For now, I’ll just say that, as much as I loved the show, I didn’t feel shortchanged by its somewhat abrupt finale. Moreover, I never felt like I needed a movie to bring some sort of closure to that world and its characters. Don’t get me wrong, by series end I wanted more VM in my life. But maybe that’s a good thing. Looking back I’d much prefer a series leave me wanting more than continually ask me back every week when it can barely muster even a shadow of its former self (cough…The Office…cough).

In addition to more Mars talk, this week’s collection also includes our G.I. Joe: Retaliation set visit, the first red-band trailer for Kick-Ass 2, Jurassic Park 4 naming its director, and all of our SXSW 2013 coverage to date. Keep reading for a brief recap and link to each.

The story around Veronica Mars series creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell’s Kickstarter campaign continues to evolve.  Yesterday morning we reported that the duo had launched the fundraising effort to raise $2 million in order for Warner Bros., the rights-holding studio, to give the okay on a feature version of the sleuth series.  They raised the funds in 10 hours and continue to bring in more pledges even now.  Though the campaign reached its goal, it wasn’t clear whether or now Warner Bros. had greenlit the project or just how they would be involved if and when they did.  Hit the jump to see the latest on the Veronica Mars movie.

Yesterday, Rob Thomas launched a Kickstarter for a film adaptation of his cult TV series, Veronica Mars.  The goal was 30 days to reach $2 million.  The Kickstarter quickly reached its goal in less than a day, and of this posting has received $2.8 million in donations.  Some people celebrated this not only as a way to finally get a Veronica Mars movie, but as a new dawn for financing mainstream feature films.  Personally, I felt everything about it was a bit…off.  I couldn’t quite place my finger on it, but as I’ve spoken with more people and read other editorials discussing the Kickstarter’s success, I’ve become more inclined to believe that Warner Bros., the studio that owns Veronica Mars, has gamed the system, misled fans, and opened a door to diminishing the spirit of Kickstarter in order to serve corporate interests.

If you haven’t already written me off for being an inherently pessimistic person, hit the jump for why I’m against Kickstarting Veronica Mars.

As we reported just a few hours ago, Veronica Mars series creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their long-gestating film treatment with a goal of $2 million.  That goal has been reached in a mere ten hours, while it also set a Kickstarter record by drawing in $1 million worth of pledges in less than four-and-a-half hours.

As for Veronica Mars itself, the UPN series aired for three seasons becoming a cult and critical favorite.  The heavily noir-influenced plot followed the cases of a high school/college student moonlighting as a private investigator.  Now it looks as if there’s hope for the feature film going forward…but at what cost?  Hit the jump for more.

The fate of the long-promised Veronica Mars movie is now being placed wholly into the hands of the show’s fans.  In rather exciting move, series creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell have launched a Kickstarter to fund the film with a goal of $2 million.  The UPN series lasted only three seasons on the air before cancellation, but the show was a cult and critical favorite.  The plot followed the exploits of a high school/college student moonlighting as a private investigator and carried a heavy noir influence.

Thomas and Bell have been adamant about their desire to make a Veronica Mars movie over the years, but studios have been unwilling to foot the production bill given that their handy dandy models predict the film will have a limited audience and therefore low profitability.  Now, in what could possibly be a game-changing move for the film industry, the very fans that have been clamoring for it to come to fruition will be funding the entire production.  Hit the jump for more.

Rob Thomas, Ira Glass, and Owen Wilson are teaming up at HBO for a drama series tentatively titled Thrillsville.  Variety says the series is inspired by the This American Life segment “Midlife Cowboy,” in which former methamphetamine smuggler James Spring tells the story of his inspiration to help others before his 40th birthday: “His quest led him to mount a search for two young girls who were kidnapped in Northern California in connection with drug-trade violence and taken to Baja California.”  His success in finding the girls led him to a new career as an investigator in missing person cases, which I imagine is how they will turn this into an ongoing series.

I’m a big fan of Thomas.  His lighter fare (Party Down, Cupid) is great, but his best work is Veronica Mars, so I’m in Thrillsville seeing him return to darker territory—especially at HBO.  There is no mention of Wilson doing anything but producing, but he would be a good fit in the starring role… I just ask that you consider it, Mr. Wilson.  Hit the jump for more on the story.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  if there’s a reason to live in Texas, it’s Tim League’s Alamo Drafthouse chain, a collection of theaters that make every other big-ass theater chain currently operating in America feel like the shantytowns they are. Whereas most theater chains only screen new movies (and, perhaps, Rocky Horror on Saturday nights), the Drafthouse also offers up elaborate film- and TV-geek friendly events…in addition to a full bar.

Their latest event?  A Party Down marathon that unfolded last weekend across two different parties and one Drafthouse theater.  While the entire series screened for the assembled crowd, the cast and crew (including series creator Rob Thomas) was on-hand to talk about their pre-Party Down careers, the potential for a Party Down movie, and the best way to watch Party Down now that it’s been cancelled.  Read on for our report from the front lines, after the jump.

Wonder Woman will not die.  David E. Kelly is a bizarre choice to run the show, and the networks seemed to realize this when they passed on Wonder Woman in unison.  But where there’s a will (and a deeply troubled network), there’s a way: NBC has picked up Kelley’s Wonder Woman reboot.  I hope to see a live-action Wonder Woman in my lifetime, but not like this.  Not like this at all.

This report comes among a flurry of pilot season news involving such talent as Steven Spielberg, Conan O’Brien, Ethan Hawke, Rob Thomas, Tim Kring, and more.  Hit the jump for a recap.

It’s not too surprising, but Starz has cancelled both of their current half-hour series Party Down and Gravity.  The Party Down cancellation has warranted the most lamentations, with a cult following and critical acclaim.  And when I say “cult”, I mean that the season two finale was viewed by a meager 74,000 viewers, and recorded a 0.0 in the 18-49 demo.  Hit the jump for comments from creator Rob Thomas on the cancellation.

A proposed Veronica Mars has a lot of creative potential, but it has really never been financially viable for Warner Bros.  While Mars producer Joel Silver would love to make it happen, he elaborated

“We analyzed all these areas about it.  I talked to the home video people, because a movie like that would be driven by video.  The [season DVDs] didn’t do that well… So they didn’t feel there was a need or an audience.”

The show averaged 2-3 million viewers per episode in its three-year run on UPN and The CW.  Indeed, that doesn’t seem like much of a fan base to tap into, though I’d like to think that Kristen Bell as a noirish detective has some marketability independent of brand recognition.  The nail is in the coffin at Warner Bros., but creator Rob Thomas continues to pursue the feature adaptation, so there may yet be hope elsewhere.   Hit the jump for the full video of Silver’s comments.

Reports of the death of the Veronica Mars movie have been greatly exaggerated says show creator Rob Thomas.  After its cancellation in 2007, fans have been clamoring to see a new mystery for the sardonic detective (played by Kristen Bell) to solve.  A film version was believed to be dead after Bell said there was a script but Thomas denied it.  Thomas has now clarified the situation to EW and says there was a treatment that he took to Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver, but the studio said there wasn’t enough awareness of the property to give a greenlight.  However, Thomas says he’s still looking for a way to make the movie.

Hit the jump for Thomas’ comments on the built-in expiration date for the project and why I think this movie shouldn’t be so difficult to make.