Watch the opening of the Veronica Mars movie

Here’s the opening scene from Veronica Mars. Really it’s more of a fancy “previously on Veronica Mars” but it’s rather cool to see the full movie version of the WB logo move into Rob Thomas’ trademark dialogue. You might argue that the film could have presented this information in a slightly less explicitly expository way but Veronica’s voiceover was a key element of the show and this serves as an introduction to that too.

Veronica Mars is released 14 March globally in cinemas and on demand. It’s another innovative move for a film that’s not really followed any of the conventional studio rules. There are many who would argue that Warner Bros are exploiting fans and given they are happy to distribute and release the movie, they should be happy to fund it too. It’s a fair argument in some ways however this was the only way this movie would get made, and with Kickstarter, those who contributed have had incredible insight and interaction with the creative process with regular updates from writer/director Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell.

This whole process has been a test case in some ways. It’s being released through Warner Brothers online content division. If it proves that it’s a successful model then there’s no doubt WB and other studios will see the potential in spin-offs and movies based on existing content that might not have had the biggest fanbase, but has one passionate enough to guarantee a profit from a relatively tiny budget. It’s unlikely crowd funding would come into play again but the publicity generated from a studio using this option has put Veronica Mars on the map and created a much wider awareness of the brand than had existed prior to that launch.

It’s a brand that is very much alive with a series of novels from Rob Thomas on the way, and an online meta spin-off coming. If this movie is a success it will open up the door for sequels and it seems the TV cast feel like they have unfinished business and would always come back for more.

Veronica Mars is released globally on 14 March 2014