Updated: VERONICA MARS Film Turns To Kickstarter

Update: The campaign has reached the $2 million mark at around 9pm eastern.

In just a few short years, Kickstarter has become ground zero for the crowdsourcing movement, allowing artists of all disciplines to secure grassroots-level funding for their projects. Last month at the Academy Awards, we saw the first Kickstarter-funded film to win an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject winner Inocente.

But it looks like Rob Thomas, the creator of the cult favorite television series Veronica Mars, is looking to one up that by turning a big screen adaptation of the show into the first major feature film to be funded through the website.

Thomas officially launched a Kickstarter campaign earlier today with the goal of funding a big screen Veronica Mars film. As I write this (4 pm Eastern), the campaign has already received $1.16 million in pledges towards its $2 million goal.

In a message on the campaign’s page, Thomas explained that he and series star Kristen Bell met with the studio execs at Warner Brothers, who own the series, and were told that if they could should enough interest from fans, they could make the film.

They were extremely cool about it, as a matter of fact. Their reaction was, if you can show there’s enough fan interest to warrant a movie, we’re on board. So this is it. This is our shot. I believe it’s the only one we’ve got. It’s nerve-wracking. I suppose we could fail in spectacular fashion, but there’s also the chance that we completely revolutionize how projects like ours can get made. No Kickstarter project ever has set a goal this high. It’s up to you, the fans, now. If the project is successful, our plan is to go into production this summer and the movie will be released in early 2014.

As to where the story will take the teen sleuth nearly a decade after she was last seen, Thomas states –

Life has taken Veronica away from Neptune. In the years since spoiling Keith’s chances to be reelected sheriff, Veronica hasn’t taken a case. But something big is about to bring her back home and back to her calling. 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.

Thomas goes on to state that the more money that they raise, the bigger the scope of the film will be.

I have to confess that I am not sure what kind of movie one can get for just a couple of million dollars. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thomas, Mars and maybe even any other returning cast memebers were deferring their salary against any potential profits from the release. And it should be interesting to see what kind of trail this may blaze.