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'Veronica Mars' fans successfully fund movie via Web campaign

Updated 9:30 p.m. ET: The "Veronica Mars" Kickstarter campaign to raise $2 million to bring the TV detective to the big screen easily passed its goal Wednesday evening, with more pledges still coming in.The project passed its goal without even being live for 24 hours of its planned 30-day run. "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell said both were prepared to make the movie, and t
Kristen Bell, seen here on the show's first season in 2004, is ready and willing to make a \"Veronica Mars\" movie.
Kristen Bell, seen here on the show's first season in 2004, is ready and willing to make a \"Veronica Mars\" movie.Scott Garfield / AP file / Today

Updated 9:30 p.m. ET: The "Veronica Mars" Kickstarter campaign to raise $2 million to bring the TV detective to the big screen easily passed its goal Wednesday evening, with more pledges still coming in.

The project passed its goal without even being live for 24 hours of its planned 30-day run. "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell said both were prepared to make the movie, and that Warner Bros., which owns the rights to the series, agreed to pay for marketing and distribution costs once the $2 million goal was reached.

Those who pledged received differering items based on the amount they pledged. Those who pledged just $10 will receive an emailed copy of the script, while the one person who pledged $10,000 or more receives a brief role as a waiter in the film, delivering the line, "Your check, sir."

Once the goal was reached, Thomas tweeted, "Hallelujah! It's a green light my friends. I love you all, but particularly the donors among you."

And Bell tweeted, "I love you guys. You are all SO spectacular. I am speechless."

Original story: Fans who loved the TV series "Veronica Mars" have put their money where their mouths are, donating more than $1 million to a Kickstarter campaign to fund a big-screen version of the show starring original star Kristen Bell.

Show creator Rob Thomas and Bell hope to raise $2 million in a month, and if they do, say that Warner Bros. will pay for the film's marketing and distribution costs.

"Here it is,"  Thomas writes on Kickstarter. "Our one shot to see a Veronica Mars movie happen. Kristen is in. I'm in. Let's do it!"

"Kristen and I met with the Warner Bros. brass, and they agreed to allow us to take this shot," Thomas explains. "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."

Kristen Bell, seen here on the show's first season in 2004, is ready and willing to make a \"Veronica Mars\" movie.
Kristen Bell, seen here on the show's first season in 2004, is ready and willing to make a \"Veronica Mars\" movie.Scott Garfield / AP file / Today

"Veronica Mars" ran from 2004-2005 on UPN, then till 2007 on The CW, which succeeded UPN. Mars began as a high schooler and ended as a college student who worked as a private investigator helped by her father, himself a detective. The show was often compared to teen detective Nancy Drew as well as popular series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Thomas wrote a feature film script for the character immediately after the show was canceled, but Warner Bros., which owns the series rights, chose not to finance it then. If the Kickstarter campaign reaches its goal, Thomas hopes to begin production during the summer of 2013 and release the film in 2014.

As of Wednesday evening, the campaign had raised more than $1.7 million in less than 24 hours, with 30 days still to run.

"Keep in mind that the more money we raise, the cooler movie we can make," Thomas wrote on Kickstarter. "A two million dollar fundraising total probably means cross words are exchanged at the class reunion. Three million? We can afford a full-on brawl. Ten million? Who knows... For some reason the Neptune High class reunion takes place on a nuclear submarine! A Hobbit shows up! There’s a Bollywood end-credit dance number! I’ve always wanted to direct Bill Murray. We’ll figure out something cool. Hey, if that total goes high enough, I’ll bet the good folks at Warner Bros. will agree a sequel is a good idea."

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