‘Veronica Mars’ trailer debuts for Kickstart-funded Kristen Bell caper

The Kickstarter-backed film version of the cult-favorite teen TV series “Veronica Mars” has taken another step on its journey to theaters with the release of its first trailer, which finds star Kristen Bell up to her old sleuthing tricks in the seaside town of Neptune, Calif.

Though the mystery series, which ran for three seasons on UPN and the CW, never found mainstream success and was canceled in 2007, it did attract an ardent core of fans who have since clamored for a movie. They got the chance to show they were serious back in March, when Bell and series creator Rob Thomas reunited to launch a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising $2 million to fund the film.

The campaign was successful, earning $5.7 million and breaking Kickstarter records, including fastest campaign to hit $1 million and highest-funded project in the film category. It is the third-highest funded project in Kickstarter history.

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The film, which wrapped in July, is set nine years after the close of the series, with Bell’s title character working as a lawyer in New York City, having put her days as a private investigator behind her — until an old flame back home gets accused of murder.

At Comic-Con in July, Thomas said he hoped to spin “a Bond franchise” out of “Veronica Mars,” though ideally with Warner Bros., which owns the property and is handling marketing and distribution, footing the bill next time.

It’s an ambitious goal, especially considering that similar TV show revivals have had a mixed record of late. The animated sci-fi series “Futurama” was canceled again in April after being resurrected for a quartet of DVD movies and two extra seasons on Comedy Central, and the oddball comedy series “Arrested Development” garnered mixed reviews for its comeback on Netflix. A second Netflix season and a movie have been floated as possible next steps.

In the meantime, “Veronica Mars” will open March 14. Watch the trailer:

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