Story highlights
The "Veronica Mars" movie opens Friday
The love triangle was a a central plot of the show
Creator says he would love a Netflix or Amazon reboot of the series
One thing fans of the TV series “Veronica Mars” – sometimes called “marshmallows” – hope to see in the movie “Veronica Mars” is a resolution to the ongoing debate: Team Logan or Team Piz?
When last we left the young detective, it seemed Veronica had finally settled down with Piz – something that still seems to be the case in the trailer for the movie, which was funded entirely by legions of devoted fans.
“I know people were pissed off the way it did end, mostly because it was unknown,” Jason Dohring (Logan) told CNN Thursday at the PaleyFest event for “Veronica Mars,” out this weekend.
“We give it some resolution in the film, but playing it back and forth is what makes the drama in the show. “
Logan was never supposed to be coupled with Veronica originally, show creator Rob Thomas revealed at the PaleyFest panel. But he grew on the writers when they saw Dohring’s chemistry with star Kristen Bell.
That chemistry came back right away when he did his first scene with Bell on set, Dohring told CNN.
“I think Kristen is amazing, and when she smiles at me I kind of go, ‘holy s— what do I do?’ I smile back, and it just comes right back.”
Meanwhile, Chris Lowell offered “Team Piz” fans this hint about his character’s chances of being the one to end up with Veronica.
“I think Rob likes to not put a period on the end of every sentence when he finishes something,” he said. “The show ended on a cliffhanger note. I believe in a way he did a similar thing here.”
Thomas said the resolution might still be debated in fan circles even after they see the movie.
“I think that fans will understand why Veronica makes the decisions she makes,” he said.
“It’s a fun predicament to put Veronica in – will she go with her good sense or her passions?”
One thing Thomas did make clear is that he made the final call on how things ended up.
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“It was not up for a vote. Certainly I had a way I wanted it to go and that’s how it went, but we’ll let the fans decide if they’re happy with how it ended up.”
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the crowdfunding from Kickstarter, which gave the movie its budget of well over $5 million.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride for me in terms of hope,” he said.
“There were moments where I felt optimistic and bullish about our chances, and others where I felt so low, I thought it wouldn’t happen. Kristen Bell has this confidence and optimism that kept it going. It was like a mini-miracle when it came together.”
Thomas thinks this could potentially be something we see more and more, especially when it comes to Warner Bros., the studio that owns “Veronica Mars” and gave Thomas the opportunity to try crowdfunding. (Warner Bros. Pictures is owned by Time Warner, which also owns CNN.)
“The next few weeks will tell. If the movie makes money then I think there’s an opportunity for more movies like ours to be made,” he said.
“If we find this model that can support $5 or $10 million, I think [Warner Bros.] would be thrilled, and I’d be proud if we got more $5 to 10 million movies [based on existing series or properties] because of this.”
So might we get more “Veronica Mars” after this? There’s already a CW Web series based on Ryan Hansen’s character Dick Casablancas set to shoot in July.
Thomas told the fans at PaleyFest that the idea of a Netflix or Amazon season of “Veronica Mars” excites him to no end.
“I would love to be able to do the R-rated version of ‘Veronica Mars.’ I would love to tell some darker stories.”
In the meantime, fans can hope that Thomas’ TV adaptation of the comic book “iZombie” starring Rose McIver (“Once Upon a Time,” “Masters of Sex”) gets picked up by the CW.
“They said they wanted a kick-ass female centric show like ‘Buffy’ and ‘Veronica,’ and I think it’s a fun show in that vein,” he told CNN.
“I think we jump off the comic book [storylines] quite a bit, but we keep the basic idea that our young female zombies have to eat brains to survive, and she gets the memories of the people whose brains she’s consuming.”
Well, we can see one big difference right away. So not just “Veronica Mars” fans but clearly, “Walking Dead” fans might want to check it out, as well.