The 'Veronica Mars' Movie is Happening!

Dick, Logan, Keith, Veronica, Mac, and Wallace

There has been a lot of good pop culture news recently. The trailer for the new Hangover movie came out and doesn't look terrible, Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing seems like it's going to be awesome (though it can never touch the majesty of Kenneth Branagh's 90s version), and Bunheads on ABC Family got renewed for a second season. No news, however, is quite as exciting as yesterday's announcement that there is actually going to be a Veronica Mars movie. Hinted at for some time by lead actress Kristen Bell, it all seemed like an unattainable dream until the Kickstarter campaign started yesterday morning. They were looking to get $2 million in 30 days, and they've already gotten $2.7 million in donations in a little over a day. So, yeah, this movie is happening.

Created by Rob Thomas (not this guy), Veronica Mars is a California-set neo-noir television series following a pint-sized sleuth (Bell played the titular Veronica) as she navigates the

dangerous world of high school. Following the death of her best friend Lily Kane (Amanda Seyfried) and her father's (the local sheriff Keith Mars) public shaming, Veronica is ostracized from her friends and almost everyone else in town. Living in the shadows, so to speak, Veronica forms a new life as an off-shoot to her father's newly formed detective agency, taking on cases and trying to solve two huge mysteries: who drugged and raped her at a party, and who killed her best friend?

The first season, critically loved and largely ignored by the general public, was incredible (I use that word a lot, but I really mean it this time). Setting a gritty noir against the backdrop of sunny California was a revelation, and the plots were juicy and the scripts well-written. Thomas populated the world with femme-fatales, dirty cops, gangsters looking to come clean, and all manner of villains and vices.  It wasn't free of WB/CW trappings (a terrible Paris Hilton cameo springs to mind), but it was original, funny, heartbreaking, and earnest. The second season, which mostly revolved around a mysterious bus crash, was a mixed bag (with some truly awesome episodes), and the third season put Veronica in college and it was a lot of things, but nothing was very compelling, and the many divergent plots pulled too much focus from our favorite Neptunian.

The show revolved around Veronica's relationships with her father (played by Enrico Colantoni) and her on-again, off-again boyfriend Logan (played by Jason Dohring).  Since the series ended without any closure on the Logan front, there's definitely material for a film! I don't know what the film is going to bring, obviously, but I'm already totally on board. It's literally the best news I've received in years. There are relatives I like less than this news. Of course, here are some things that would make it even better. I present to you:

The Veronica Mars Movie Wish List

Depression: Veronica is at her best when she's sad: crying in the shower, crying in her car, crying on a stoop. You pick a location, and she's good at crying there. The two things that make her more sad than anything else are her mother and Logan, so bring them in and we've got a show.

Kendall Casablancas: Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen) was a perennial fixture on the show, and his step-mother, played by the wonderful Charisma Carpenter, was always fun to have around. If memory serves, she ran off with some gangsters and her marriage to Dick's father was all a long-con, but she was always good for stirring up trouble between Logan and Veronica. So, it'd be nice to see her back in the game. 

Mac and Wallace: Despite being most Neptune residents' Villian Numero Uno, Veronica did manage to make a few friends during her years at Neptune High. None were quite as awesome as tech-wiz Mac (Tina Majorino) and best-friend/lapdog Wallace (Percy Daggs III). So, bring 'em back.

Murder: MURDER!!!

Sheriff Mars: The series ended before viewers found out the outcome of the sheriff elections, and it would be good to see Veronica's dad in the position of power he so rightly deserves. So, let's hope he won! Also, bring back Deputy Leo (Max Greenfield). That guy was great, and his super-hyped New Girl awesomeness could put some butts in the seats when the movie hits theaters.

Logan and Veronica Smoldering Glances: They were great at smoldering glances.

Cameos!: Veronica Mars had awesome guest stars, and we would love to see some of them pop back up. Just off the top of my head, it would be cool to see: Jessica Chastain, Adam Scott, Leighton Meester, Krysten Ritter, Xena, Melissa Leo, Michael Cera, Alyson Hannigan, Ken Marino, and Joey Lauren Adams. There are other people we would like to see, but a lot of them are dead. So...

Ghost Montage!: It's the only way to bring Amanda Seyfried back, and it also would mean some more time with (Spoiler Alert) Lisa Rinna, Sheriff Lamb, Steve Guttenberg, and Ed Begley, Jr.

Less Rape: It was interesting to have a major television show devote so much time to such a hot-button issue, but, at the end of the second season and throughout the third season, it became clear that no show can give the subject the weight it deserves.

Okay, that's all I want. Now, if you'll excuse me...