After the startling success of the Kickstarter campaign, the film version of cult TV drama Veronica Mars was all but assured to be headed to Comic-Con. So it came to pass as creator Rob Thomas, star Kristen Bell and other cast members arrived in Hall H to bring footage from the film.
The panel included the Francis Capra III (Weevil), Enrico Colatoni (Keith Mars), Percy Daggs III (Wallace), Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas), Tina Majorino (Mac), Chris Lowell (Piz), and clear fan-favourite Jason Dohring (Logan Echols).
Naturally, what everyone wanted to see was footage from the movie. Which, since it’s still shooting, was perhaps going to be problematic, but since Thomas and the rest were shooting quickly, they did at least have something to show. The film picks up Veronica’s story when she’s a corporate lawyer, having left her teen private detective past behind her. Naturally, she’s drawn back into a new mystery in Neptune, which just happens to coincide with the Neptune High School reunion.
So what did we see? Now you can see for yourself!
Asked what he thought the theme of the movie, Thomas went to an unexpected place. “I can tell you it has a **Godfather III **theme to it. Which seems odd. Why not pick Godfather II? That’s a better movie. But as we find Veronica in the movie she has not worked as a PI since the last time you saw her in the show. Part of it is her getting drawn back in.” And he thinks fans will be happy. “The story I wanted to tell is the one fans wanted to see to get the gang back together. I know what the pleasure centres are for fans and I wrote to them.”
If you’re a newcomer, perhaps intrigued by the whole Kickstarter thing? You won’t be left behind. “A lot of thought went into that. For the fans, there are plenty of easter eggs and things you will appreciate more because you watched the series, but I didn’t want to put a lot of references to stuff in. We needed to go big and for the movie to be the start of something. We didn’t want to complicate it with a lot of obscure mythology from the show.”
For Thomas, who seems proud that the show’s title will probably show up on his tombstone, he’s clearly enjoying getting to revisit the world of Veronica Mars despite the swift shoot. If he had a million dollars more to spend, what could we see? “Maybe more line readings,” he quips. We just don’t have time.” “Vampires,” says Ryan Hansen. “Maybe spaceships.”
Don’t expect to see either of those when the movie arrives next year, though.