'Veronica Mars' film teased at Comic-Con

[July 20, 2013]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- It's not a mystery: "Veronica Mars" is really coming to the big screen.

"Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas, star Kristen Bell and the rest of the cast previewed footage Friday at Comic-Con from the upcoming fan-funded film.

The cult, teenage gumshoe TV series was canceled in 2007 after three seasons.

Earlier this year, Thomas used crowd-funding site Kickstarter to pull in $2 million in less than a day to make a new movie. He eventually gathered more than $5.7 million in 30 days.

The footage that was teased didn't give away too much of the plot as it showed an adult Mars as a hot-shot New York lawyer being interviewed with a character played by Jamie Lee Curtis.

In the film, Mars returns to her hometown of Neptune, Calif., to meet up with her old pals for their high school reunion and solve another mystery.

"I can tell you it sorta has a 'Godfather III' theme to it, which seems odd," said Thomas. "Why not pick 'Godfather II'? It was a better movie."

Bell did reveal her first line of dialogue from the first day of shooting: "Charming drink names! I can't decide between a Beast with Two Backs or a Donkey Punch. Oh, do you think they'd let me order a virgin Devirginator?"

Bell said her first day back on set was with co-star Jason Dohring.

"We just kept staring at each other," she told the crowd. "'Are we really here? Is this 'The Twilight Zone'?'"

"Veronica Mars" co-stars Dohring, Francis Capra, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen, Tina Majorino and Chris Lowell joined Bell on a panel inside the San Diego Convention Center.

Lowell, who plays divisive love interest Stosh "Piz" Piznarski, came on stage to cheers wearing a "Team Logan" T-shirt, while Logan Echolls actor Dohring was clad in a "Team Piz" shirt. Hansen, who played outspoken playboy Dick Casablancas, later ripped off his top to reveal a "Team Dick" T-shirt underneath.

Thomas said two more days of filming remain for the movie, set for release in theaters early next year.

[Associated Press; By DERRIK J. LANG]

AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang is tweeting from Comic-Con. Follow him at http://twitter.com/derrikjlang.

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