'Veronica Mars' movie funded by fans

Cult favorite teen detective show "Veronica Mars" will finally return in the form of a movie, thanks to fans who have pledged over $2 million in 24 hours to make it happen.

On March 12, "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas announced that he had launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, a site anyone can use to raise funds for creative projects. The "Veronica Mars" campaign page includes a video starring Thomas and cast members Kristen Bell, Ryan Hansen, Jason Dohring, and Enrico Colantoni. The group explained that Warner Brothers (who owns "Veronica Mars") had agreed to distribute the film as long as the production was financed and Thomas and Bell could prove enough fan interest to warrant making a movie. In order to make the film, they'd need to raise at least $2 million by April 12, 2013. They surpassed that goal in less than 12 hours.

As of this writing, over 43,000 "Veronica Mars" fans have pledged more than $2.6 million, and there are still 29 days to go for the campaign. All extra money raised will go toward making a bigger-budget film. Those who pledge money (called "backers" on Kickstarter) can earn various rewards based on how much they contribute. For instance, those who contribute $25 will get a "Veronica Mars Movie" T-shirt and a .pdf of the script sent to them on the release date. Those who contribute $100 will get the T-shirt, the .pdf, a movie poster, and a digital version of the film. One person who contributed $10,000 gets a walk-on role in the movie! Anyone who contributes at least $10 will get production updates and a .pdf of the shooting script.

"Veronica Mars" aired on UPN and then the CW over three seasons from 2004-2007, starring Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars, a teen detective trying to solve the mystery of her best friend's murder with the help of her friends and her sherriff-turned-PI father. Its cancellation left some questions unanswered and fans have been clamoring for more "Veronica Mars" ever since.

The film will be shot this summer, most likely in Los Angeles and San Diego, CA, and released in early 2014.