Kevin Winter/Getty Images Thousands of Veronica Mars fans spent the night on a sidewalk to get into the San Diego Comic-Con panel today, and it did not disappoint!
New footage from the partly Kickstarter-funded movie was met with raucous applause, as we saw Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) in complete badass fashion, kicking ass and taking names, and talking on the phone with her long lost love Logan (Jason Dohring), who tells her, "I need your help." Yup, it seems the reconnection of Logan and Veronica is how this new story kicks off.
The footage also revealed that movie star Jamie Lee Curtis will appear in the film, interrogating Veronica, rattling off her resume, and asking her what her degree in psychology tells her about herself. "Adrenaline junkie," Veronica admits with her sly, signature half-smile.
Veronica's two love interests from the movie were in attendance (of course), and wearing their finest riot-calming gear: Chris Lowell (Piz) wore a "Team Logan" shirt, while Jason Dohring (Logan) wore "Team Piz."
"I wore this shirt so I would not be shot," Lowell joked to fans, adding that, "Some fans have come up to me as if I ruined their relationship, which I probably did." Lowell's character Piz was polarizing, to say the least, since he broke up Logan and Veronica, the show's core coupling.
Ryan Hansen ripped off his shirt later in the panel to reveal a "Team Dick" shirt underneath. "There are other characters the fans care about, OK?"
Perhaps the best, most hopeful moment for Logan and Veronica fans? Boss Rob Thomas pretty much outed himself as a shmoopy Logan and Veronica fan. "I will tell a quick, embarrassing story," Thomas said. "When I was writing the script, I would get on the treadmill each day and watch an episode, and when I got to the first Logan and Veronica kiss, I rewound it and rewound it and rewound it. And then my wife entered and I had tears in my eyes. It was an embarrassing moment that I was watching my own work, a kiss, and was crying. But it just felt so earned. I don't know if I was proud of us or of the kiss or what, but yes my wife caught me crying [over Logan and Veronica]."
When asked by a fan, "Who taught Jason how to smolder?" Kristen quickly responded: "The heavens."
And when the cast got another fan question—"Which other character would you want to play?"—Chris Lowell quickly interjected, with hands up in the air as if here were being arrested: "Logan. Logan. Logan. Logan. Logan." Big laughs and applause for his self-deprecating humor.
The movie will come out early 2014, per Thomas. "I just signed a book deal for a couple of new Veronica Mars books, the first of which will come out pretty quickly after the movie. It picks up where the movie left off."
And, after that? Will there be any more Veronica Mars on the big screen? How long will it go on? "Forever! I want it to be a Bond franchise!" Thomas said. "Maybe next time the studio will just give us the money." Now there's an idea!
Note to fans: Veronica Mars has another awesome event for fans tonight in San Diego, and I will be moderating that one. I'm also interviewing Miss Kristen Bell herself within the next few hours for E! News. Tweet any questions to @kristindsantos with #SDCCVM. Thanks, Marshmallows!