VeronicaMars Tagged Articles at Cinematical

When a show that struggled to make three seasons, with two complete reboots, gets tapped for a feature film, you don't hold your breath in anticipation. Last August, we learned that Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell were meeting to discuss turning Veronica Mars into a feature film. That news was confirmed by Thomas in January, and it sounded like things would work out and actually head into production.

But the tide is finally turning to the expected demise. EW's Ausiello talked with Bell at the Saturn Awards, and she said: "I don't think it will ever happen, and here's why: [Series creator] Rob Thomas and I had a powwow, and we were both 100 percent on board. We took our proposal to Warner Bros. and Joel Silver told us that there is no enthusiasm [there] to make a Veronica Mars movie, and that is unfortunately a roadblock we cannot compete with."

Can't say that's a surprise. When I spoke with Silver at TIFF last year, he said he was open to discussion about the idea, but didn't sound exactly keen. And speaking as a big fan who loves Bell's Mars, I can't say I blame him. If the audience wasn't there for the show, they're not going to be there for a feature film, no matter how much we'd wish it so.

When it comes to Veronica Mars, I know fans have some pretty strong feelings about the possibility of their beloved TV show getting the big-screen treatment -- but it looks like fans are going to have to get used to the idea. iF Magazine recently spoke with Mars creator, Rob Thomas and he told them that the unexpected scale-back of his current series Cupid has freed up plenty of time to get to work on the feature film version of the teen sleuth, and that it looks like a feature film will be gearing up for production.

For those of you who might have missed Veronica's short run on TV, here is a little primer: Mars (as played by Kristen Bell) was a high school student/private investigator who each week would take on a different small town mystery. Once described as "a little bit Buffy, and a little bit Bogart", Mars would solve crimes all the while dealing with the blow back from being abandoned by the popular crowd, and some serious personal issues. The show was beloved by fans, and even though it only lasted three seasons, it hasn't stopped fans from being awfully protective of their blond P.I.

Believe me, I struggled long and hard to come up with a catchy title like 'From Mars to Metro City' or something like that, but hey, sometimes a pun just isn't going to happen and it's best to move on. Variety reports that Kristen Bell has signed to voice the female lead in the feature film adaptation of Astro Boy. If you know your Astro Boy, you probably don't remember many female leads in the story, but hey, count your blessings if this is the only change in store for the classic manga tale.

Astro Boy was written by Timothy Harris, and is the story of a boy robot who is abandoned by his creator and left to fend for himself in the wilds of Metro City. The robotic Pinocchio tale had it all, absent father figures, betrayal, and robot gladiators, you know, just your usual kid's story. Bell will be joining Nicholas Cage, Freddie Highmore, Nathan Lane, and Bill Nighy in Imagi Studios 3-D update of the classic manga.

So while she may not be Harley Quinn (but I guess it doesn't hurt to fantasize), Bell has three other projects in various stages of production. Unfortunately, they seem to be the usual run of the mill romantic comedies that all young actresses seem to have to make at some point in their career. Bell will also be making a reappearance on TV's Heroes this season as the electrifying baddie, Elle Bishop. But none of these projects will get Bell fans hyped like the rumored Veronica Mars flick -- no matter how misguided that idea might be.

Astro Boy is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2009.


[Thanks: Coming Soon]

Veronica Mars is always struggling with something. She tried to find the evil jerk who killed her best friend, Lily Kane. She struggled through nightmares to figure out who was responsible for the bus crash. And then she went to college, where she made lots more enemies as she solved a whole slew of mysteries. She also struggled to stay on the air.

Unlike Spaced, which certainly got more buzz from the notable celebs who loved it, it didn't even seem to help much that big-wigs like Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon adored Veronica. Both even had cameos on the show -- as a convenience store clerk and a fastidious car rental worker, respectively.

It's weird to think of almost $20 million as chump change, but that's how the movie game is played. Pulse hasn't set any box office records, having pulled in a mere $19,703,256 as of this past weekend, which is unfortunate for this solid horror film. Kristin Bell (star of TV's Veronica Mars) proves she can carry her own weight in features, and the movie has some great creep-out moments with apocalyptic overtones. Kairo, the Japanese film on which Pulse was based, is a collection of interesting scenes, separated by moments of tedium and all strung together by a narrative that refuses to coalesce. Some may cry "blasphemy" when they read this, but Jim Sonzero's remake clarifies many of Kairo's infuriatingly vague elements, creating a truly rare cinematic phenomenon: a remake that improves upon the original.

The film deserved to do better, but I am confident Pulse will find its audience on DVD. The disk streets on December 5 with a 90-minute unrated cut, 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Extras will include a commentary track with the filmmakers, deleted scenes, as well as the featurettes Creating The Fear: Making Pulse, The Visual Effects Of Pulse, and Pulse And The Paranormal. There will also be an 87-minute PG-13 version available in fullscreen only.

[via Bloody Disgusting]

Because the buzz on her work in the Pulse remake is so damn good, the Weinstein Company is in final negotiations with Kristen Bell to join the cast of Fanboys, in which she'll play a Star Wars maniac. Also in talks to become fanboys are a fleet of other TV "stars," including the incredibly annoying (but undeniably dorky) Jay Baruchel, Chris Marquette (Joan of Arcadia's Adam Rove), and Sam Huntington, who will soon be known to the world as Jimmy Olsen. Already cast in the film is some guy named Dan Fogler, who grabbed the highly-coveted role of "a hot-headed pizza boy."

Despite a largely unproven cast and an inexperienced director (Kyle Newman), the movie's plot is rather charming, albeit in a really geeky way: set in 1999, it's about a group of Star Wars worshipers who decided to honor their dying friend's last wish and take him to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, where they hope to see the not-yet-released The Phantom Menace in what they consider "its most optimal setting." Sort of cute, right?

The movie starts filming next month in New Mexico.

A JoBlo tipster had the dubious pleasure recently of seeing an early screening of Pulse - Jim Sonzero's remake of the 2001 J-horror flick of the same name - and boy is he unhappy about it. Though his report (linked below) is less of a film review than a (mostly understandable) diatribe against crappy remakes, the fact that the movie sucks comes through loud and clear. Acting, by a cast full of TV stars? Terrible. (But...Kristen Bell! Veronica Mars! How can she be bad?) Writing, by FIVE assorted scribes? Awful. Atmosphere? Nope. Editing? Crappy. Overall? To quote the angry man himself, "No amount of post production work will help this film." Yikes.

Hey, there's one positive: if you came through that still eager to see the film, it's safe to read the review - it's spoiler free.