Veronica Mars, the critically acclaimed drama following the exploits of teenage sleuth Veronica Mars, has been resurrected after fans pledged over $5.7 million to fund a movie based on the show.
The show, starring Kristen Bell as its eponymous hero, was a critical success despite its failing ratings and relatively short lifespan. It created a cult following—which includes high profile admirers such as Stephen King, Joss Whedon, and Kevin Smith—with fans praising its originality and ability to combine teenage drama with a 50s film noir sensibility. Now that fan base has banded together to ensure the creation of a Veronica Mars movie.
In March, creator Rob Thomas (also known for shows such as 90210 and Party Down) started a page on Kickstarter, a website where people can ask for donations for various projects. His goal was simple: to raise $2 million in a month and convince the Warner Bros. that there is a market for a Veronica Mars movie.
Warner Bros. had stated they would help finance the project if Thomas could produce an initial sum of $2 million, and within minutes fans began pledging their money in droves. Initially, it seemed like a formidable goal, with no certainty about who would donate and how much anyone was willing to give. But those fears quickly subsided when, in less than 12 hours, Thomas and his team reached their goal.
Over the following month, the project set quite a number of records for the site. According to its webpage, it was the fastest project to reach $1 million and $2 million, the third highest funded project, and the project with the highest number of backers, with over 91,000 people pledging their monetary support. It was a definitive demonstration of the power of loyal fandom coupled with the internet.
The unbelievable response to the project and its tangible outcome has, naturally, led many to wonder how something like this could be applied to other shows. Most notably, fans of sci-fi series Firefly have contemplated raising money for a revival of the show, which ran for only one season and a movie. However, Joss Whedon has denied any plans to pursue this. Of course, raising money for a single film is quite different to trying to revive an entire series.
The Veronica Mars movie is set to be released in early 2014 and Thomas has promised the return of most of the show’s main characters. As a fan of the original series, I’ll be first in line for what will surely be an extravaganza of flashbacks, voiceovers, and Kristen Bell singlehandedly outsmarting the entire population of Neptune, California. It will be a good reminder of why Veronica Mars and I used to be friends, a long time ago.