Thursday, March 14, 2013

Misson to Mars: Kickstarter Helps Veronica Mars Film

What a novel idea! What exciting prospects! What...lack of enthusiasm on my part.

Kickstarter.com has to be one of the greatest ideas for a website since the dawn of the internet. Truly, creating a platform for people to use as a means to create funds for various independent projects and endeavors with the promise of some form of valuable reward for donators...why the hell didn't I think of that!

Many have used the site and method to raise funds for numerous noteworthy projects, but today we may have witnessed the most notable of them all. Rob Thomas, creator of the relatively short lived but ever popular and acclaimed teen-drama/mystery series titled Veronica Mars, called on zealous fans to help raise funds to greenlight a feature film based on the series. In less than twelve hours, the set goal was reached and now fans can expect a Veronica Mars movie in early 2014.

Warner Bros., who still owns the rights to the series, has agreed to cover the costs of marketing, promotion, and distribution with plans to release the film in a limited theatrical run before making a wider release on various digital platforms (iTunes, VOD, ect.).

Click Here To Donate: The Veronica Mars Movie Project

  

Good news? Well, yes. 

You will never hear me complain about fans getting what they desire with the utmost amount of passion. Oh, you will hear me complain about WHY they would want certain things (*coughTwilightcough*), but as a geek, I GET the sense of satisfaction that comes with geek dreams coming true. 

The massive success of this campaign also offers exciting prospects for the future of potential kickstarter endeavors. Could fans get that video game sequel they always wanted? Could recently cancelled TV shows find new life? Could independent filmmakers tackle projects on the same scale of big budget blockbusters without the restraints of the studio system? Time will tell, but doesn't just the idea of it alone excite you?!

Having said that...I wish I could be as excited about this as everyone else seems to be. I really do. I am a fan of the series. It was cleverly written, the actors delivered lively and raw performances, and even at it's weakest the show was able to produce some engaging mystery stories. Veronica Mars was/is without a doubt an excellent series that should be watched by all. As for this upcoming film? Meh.

After years of headlines reading "Former Veronica Mars Actor/Writer/Producer Wants To Do A Movie" (stop the presses!) and having nothing but similar articles come out of these discussions...I am over Veronica Mars. Had this happened two or even three years after the cancellation of the show I would probably be more enthusiastic. However, it has been five years since the series got the axe and while the plug on the show was pulled far too soon...I am sorry, but I have gotten over it.

You could argue that any fan, myself included, would be gitty over the idea of even the oldest cancelled shows being given new life after years of absence. Well....sure. Maybe. However, if I am still clamoring for a Smallville universe based Superman film or Nolanverse Justice League feature in five years and it has not happened...someone please smack me.

Do not get me wrong. I am sure the Veronica Mars film will be fine, at the very least, and I will probably watch it as soon as possible. I am just saying that it is hard to leap for joy over something I have effectively gotten over.

I am excited for what the success of this kickstarter campaign could lead to when it comes to the future of film and television, but I hope this is not the beginning of a trend that see's years or decades old shows being revived after being, quite frankly, irrelevant for so long. I would much rather see this mark the beginning of fresh and never-before-seen projects getting as much fan enthusiasm and support as the Veronica Mars kickstarter has. This one for a documentary on the now infamous cancelled Tim Burton Superman film being a good example.

To that end...I agree with this quote:

Let TV shows die a natural death. Fans of the cancelled TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise” are trying to raise enough money on their own to pay for another season. It’s either that, or go outside.
Bill Maher

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