Scott Wingo Business: Veronica Mars movie looks for crowdfunding, would have digital copies near release (update: funded!)

There's been no shortage of movie projects that lean on crowdfunding to get production underway. Producing a movie based on a major TV series like Veronica Mars, however? That's fresh. Creator Rob Thomas has obtained support from Warner Bros. and lead actress Kristen Bell for a Kickstarter funding drive that, if it hits its $2 million goal, will shoot a full-length Veronica Mars feature this summer with a premiere around early 2014. Pledge makers would be rewarded with anything from a copy of the script through to a speaking role in the title. To us, the real highlight is the planned release strategy -- like an increasing number of movies, we'd be watching digital copies "within a few days" of the opening, rather than months. While Thomas and crew can't declare the fundraiser over until April 12th, it's advancing quickly enough that the focus is less on whether or not the project will go forward and more on its chances at becoming an internet-backed blockbuster.

Update: Just a few hours after kicking off its crowdfunding effort, the Veronica Mars movie project has surpassed its $2 million goal. Right now it's hovering around $2,035,000, but we suspect it'll balloon even further within the 30 days that remain in the campaign.

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