By Will Ashton | wa054010@ohiou.edu
Whether it’s great or it sucks, the Veronica Mars movie will have changed movie history.
Yesterday, Rob Thomas, the show’s creator; Kristen Bell; and various other stars of the original series got together in order to create a Kickstarter page for the long-gestured film. They were hoping for $2 million, and they got it, and more, in less than 11 hours. The average donation was $60.
A groundbreaking feat, the movie became the highest -non-video game- Kickstarter grosser in the website’s history. Warner Bros., who promised they would distribute and promote the film if it reached its goal, has now officially greenlit the movie. The plan now is to shoot the movie this summer, edit it in the fall, and, hopefully, have the film screening in local cinemas in 2014.
The Kickstarter is still going on now, with the page having earned more than $3 million with 29 more days to go. And, even though they have earned their primary goal, they still encourage fans to continue contributing to the cause.
“My mind is blown. I’ve been fantasizing about this and had to tell myself, ‘Stop it, Rob, you’re being silly. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment,’” Thomas said for Entertainment Weekly. “And now today has exceeded the wildest pipe dream I let myself entertain. Holy cow. We better make a good movie. These amazing fans have stepped up. We better deliver.”
Beyond the film and the property itself, (which, personally, I have never even watched. I’m sure it’s good, but I never got around to it.) this deal is pretty revolutionary. With this page, fans were able to let their voices truly be heard and put their money where they mouth is in the developmental stage of a major motion picture.
Additionally, this could potentially encourage other, long-gestured film projects to make themselves come into production. In just the TV front, could this mean that fans will finally get films of Arrested Development? 24? Party Down, the other cancelled Thomas show? Even Firefly, who already had a movie? The potential for movie sequels coming to life are too many to list.
Veronica Mars may not be the first successful Kickstarter movie project, but it’s the biggest. And it’s potentially a game changer. If fans and filmmakers let it be. Could this become a new phase? The Mars effect? Who knows. But things look a little brighter now for fans.
Above all else, the geeks have spoken! Hollywood, let their voices continue to be heard.
