How fans kick-started a "Veronica Mars" movie

Veronica Mars was never a heroine. She was a hero.

Her passionate television fandom recently won a serious victory. Last week, a Kickstarter campaign launched to fund a feature film continuation of the acclaimed crime noir television show “Veronica Mars” by series creator Rob Thomas. Less than 12 hours after opening, the project had achieved its goal of $2 million.

A week later, the film is now backed by more than 55,000 people pledging more than $3.5 million. Not only does this display the intense enthusiasm held by legions of “Veronica Mars” fans, but this hints at an innovative future for both filmmaking and film funding.

The series “Veronica Mars” premiered on the now-defunct network UPN in September 2004. While the show never broke ratings records, it garnered critical acclaim for its clever writing and for lead actress Kristen Bell’s performance as the titular teen sleuth. Veronica followed in the footsteps of Buffy Summers as a mold-shattering female protagonist.

During three seasons, two on UPN and one on The CW, Veronica solved crimes alongside her sheriff turned PI father and a loyal circle of friends in sun-drenched Neptune, California.

Unfortunately, The CW cancelled the series in 2007 when it didn’t attract the viewers network executives sought. Fans, myself among them, were crushed. In a sea of gossip girls and damsels in distress, Veronica was the female character television needed. And now she was gone with a swift flip of an executive’s fiscal conscience.
 
But six years later, fans have continually spoken and they’ve finally been heard. Thomas and Bell, who have both campaigned for a “Veronica Mars” film since the series went off the air, reached a deal with Warner Bros. that concluded that if $2 million could be raised for the production, the studio would distribute the film in early 2014. Worry about raising the $2 million was needless. The project now has its goal budget, and that number can continue to grow until the pledging window closes April 12th.

Countless questions may now be asked. Could this be the future of film? Funding from the public to the projects they want to see made? Are people willing to fund a film on top of paying to see it once it’s released? The “Veronica Mars” team seems to have that snag figured out.

With a certain dollar amount donation, a digital copy and/or DVD will be sent to the funder. A pledge is essentially paying what you would have paid to see the movie anyway.

While it’s tremendous to know fans will finally have the closure the abrupt series finale failed to give, the future of the film industry has come to a remarkable intersect with the greenlighting of the “Veronica Mars” movie. This is a film that is being made because of its fandom.

Without six years of relentless grumbling and howling, the “Veronica Mars” movie would not be heading into production this summer. This is truly a passion project equally attributed to the cast, crew and fan base.

Some naysayers are grumbling that the “Veronica Mars” fans are paying the tab while Warner Bros. will see the profits. This may be true, but this film would not be getting made any other way. The fans were given an opportunity, and they took it without hesitation. So today, let us celebrate the victory of a devoted fandom and leave the cynicism and negativity to the penny pinchers and pessimists.