Series creator: 'Veronica Mars' movie inching forward

Kristen Bell of 'Veronica Mars'

Credit: The CW

Rob Thomas is ready to write a "Veronica Mars" movie, the series creator told the Television Critics Association press tour crowd on Friday (Jan. 16).

Thomas, on hand to promote his ABC midseason remake of "Cupid," lamented that the series has only been ordered for eight episodes this spring, but explained to reporters that the reduced load will allow him to finally write the long-rumored (hoped for?) adaptation of his beloved (and barely watched) UPN and CW series.

"I know this happened acrossthe board, so we don't take it personally, but that we were reduced from 13 episodes to 8 episodes," Thomas said. "But what that does mean for me is that I have a couple months to write the 'Veronica Mars' movie."

A key problem -- and it isn't a small one -- is that as of now, the hypothetical "Veronica Mars" movie has neither financing nor distribution, but Thomas emphasizes that series producer Joel Silver is eager to get the movie made. 

I mean, Joel Silver does have a certain pile of money that he can decide on and he called me asking if we, you know, 'Can we do this now?' So I know that Kristen wants to do it. I want  to do it.  Joel wants to do it, and now I suddenly find myself with enough time to write that script. So that's my -- for me, that's the next project."

"Kristen," of course, is Kristen Bell who played the eponymous teenaged gumshoe for the show's 64 episode run, which began in 2004 and ended in 2007.

It isn't expected that the movie will follow the "Veronica Mars, FBI" template Thomas developed as a possible fourth season of the show.