AOL Talks To "Veronica Mars" Creator Rob Thomas: All Hope For a Movie Is Not Lost

[JamesG]

Attention "Veronica Mars" fans: you'd better take a deep breath...

Rob Thomas, the man behind "Mars", said all hope is not lost for a big screen version of the cult series -- but don't start celebrating yet.


The "Mars" mastermind doesn't want fans to continue on the roller coaster that has been the "Veronica Mars" movie saga, but he is exploring alternate routes -- like indie financing -- to reunite with Kristen Bell and the residents of Neptune on the big screen.

While promoting the second season of "Party Down", Thomas divulged some new details about his ongoing quest to give "Mars" fans a taste of the snarky private eye on the big screen.





We put the call out there to "Veronica Mars" fans and said, "We're talking to Rob Thomas, is there anything that you want to know?"

It seems like some of them are treating you as a bit of a messiah asking, "What can we do for him? Can you ask him what we can do to convince Warner Bros.?" So, is there anything?

I get so nervous about talking about a "Veronica Mars" movie because I feel that it's being teased out to fans in this way that I wish it weren't.

I always get asked about a "Veronica Mars" movie in interviews, even when I went to do the Television Critics Association session for "Party Down", I got asked about the "Veronica Mars" movie. I sort of think that it's going to look like I'm jerking people around if I report every movement -- up and down -- about the possibility of there being a movie.



The truth is that I'd like to and we are -- I say we [meaning] my agents and I are still exploring avenues to make it happen. We're trying to combine independent financing with Warner Bros. to see if there is a version of the movie that could get made.

Certainly, if only When In Rome had done $100 million -- there was nobody pulling harder for that movie than me -- that's the sort of thing that might have made it happen. The thing I'll say is, I haven't given up on it and it's still being explored, but I worry that I keep teasing the "Veronica Mars" fans and I don't want to do that. I almost want to apologize ...

In this very small community of "Veronica Mars" fans, it feels like a roller coaster. It certainly is for me, I hate making other people live through that as well.








At one point Kristen Bell was on Twitter and had it as a trending topic, you know, #veronicamarsmovie.

There's a Facebook group that has about 9,000 people and it's called "I Will Go See 'Veronica Mars: The Movie'."

[Laughs].








Do you think efforts like that will help to show the studio that there are 8,000 people here and 9,000 people there that are interested and will see a movie?

Yeah, I do think it helps. I think that any kind of buzz ... helps considerably. I think at Warner Bros., the more important thing they do is their product awareness survey on "Veronica Mars". Those results probably matter to them more than online buzz about it.

But, I think the possibility of finding a sort of champion, someone at a production company, someone who wants to invest, someone who would push it through, being aware of that buzz, I certainly think that could help.








Have you ever given any thought to coordinating with Kristen Bell or any of the other actors to say, "Hey, let's get this buzz out there because there's obviously interest.

If we get the fans buzzing and Twittering ... "

Well, you know, Kristen and I have certainly talked about it. She's the key figure. It's funny, somebody erroneously reported that it was looking likely or something like that and I did hear from several members of the cast who all seemed willing to do it. Kristen is the key one and I know she wants to do it.

I do talk to Enrico Colantoni from time to time, and I know he'd be interested in doing it, so I feel like we have the key ingredients to get made. Kristen has certainly Twittered about it and has been active in promoting the idea of it. I get very nervous about raising fans' hopes.

It makes me nervous to enlist this energy if I have doubts about whether it can actually happen.








So would you say all hope is not lost at this point?

[Laughs] Yeah, I would definitely say all hope is not lost. Yeah, not at all.

I just don't know that I'd report ... that I've seen a clear path to victory there.








Would getting hopes up -- just a little bit -- would be enough to generate something that was needed?

Maybe something like a plot tease could get people chatting?

Right. I think I've said this before, but I think there are a couple of different plots. I think it's a different movie based on various different budgets.

When Joel Silver wanted to take it in to Warner Bros., it was very straight-balled. I guess what I'm saying is I think there's a different movie that's made as an indie-financed movie and one that Warner Bros. puts its muscle behind. One is artier and one is more populist.

I think there are certain ingredients that I would have to -- and I don't say it disdainfully -- but it would have to be a much more popcorn movie if Warner Bros. was financing it. If it were made for $5 million then it would probably be a little more noir and edgy.



... Which would be awesome, if you ask me.

It would be awesome.








Does Warner Bros. own the rights to the character?

Yes. They'd have to sign off. That's sort of what we're looking into -- and when I say we, I mean largely my agents -- is if there is a way to finance and get Warner Bros'. approval and make it at a smaller number.

I just changed agencies and that's one of the things that they're digging into.


http://insidetv.aol.com/2010/04/06/v...e-is-not-lost/