“Veronica Mars” creator Rob Thomas has revealed that the film adaptation of his critically acclaimed teen-noir-detective series is not quite dead despite previously being passed on.
“It’s not dead,” insists Thomas. “I continue to want to do it. It’s funny, because the rumors go around and around. Kristen Bell had said to somebody that I had written a script, and that wasn’t correct. I did have a treatment and a pitch, with which I went to Warner Bros. and [Mars producer] Joel Silver and said, ‘Here is the fastball version of the movie, the big studio version of the movie that I think we can make.’ And I think they did one of their brand-awareness surveys and were like, ‘We don’t know if we can make money with that.’ So it’s been back-burnered. But I still want to do it. I’m still happy to do it. We’re still looking into it.”
Unlike “Arrested Development,” ‘Mars’ would probably not be hurt too much the longer any potential film takes to develop as star Bell looks younger than her age anyway. What poses more of a problem for Thomas is convincing Silver and Warner Brothers that their show, which averaged a mere 2.5 million viewers per week in its last season, can be profitable at the box office.
“Doing ‘teen detective’ dicey proposition. But frankly, I think Veronica Mars as a 30-year-old noir detective at some point in the future would still be interesting to me. In sort of the tidal wave and roller coaster of feeling upbeat or downbeat about it. I’d say I’m feeling in the middle right now.”
We’re not so optimistic. Sure, Bell is now a star but will the studio care for a fast-forwarded film adaptation of an already dwindling television series? The idea is of course the same one Thomas and co. failed with even in a pitch to CW about a potential fourth season centering on the idea that Mars is now a rookie FBI agent. It’d probably have to take a true fan of the show financing for it to happen.
As well as Bell, “Veronica Mars” is also responsible for making a name of the talented Amanda Seyfried with some of its other alumni (Ryan Hansen and Ken Marino) currently taking part in Thomas’ under appreciated Starz catering-comedy “Party Down” starring Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan. That show, however, also looks to be slowly falling apart.