What a 'Veronica Mars' Sequel Should Avoid

Kristen Bell is ready to don her Veronica Mars jacket and taser whenever duty calls. In an interview with People on Monday, Bell said, "I would be down for anything. I'm that kind of girl. You can quote me on that." Her emphatic support for any sequel to the crowd-funded Veronica Mars movie seems to suggest that she really enjoyed the first try at cinematic sleuthing. It's great that her enthusiasm has endured for the project she once compared to "a giant French kiss," but fan support of the finished product wasn't as stalwart. Although the film did wonderfully at the box office, reviewers had mixed reactions, from satisfied with the fan-driven content to underwhelmed with the reliance on the past.

As a Marshmallow myself, I was slightly let down by the film version of V. Mars. Veronica seemed less emotive than the CW character we loved, and the classic melodrama of the series seemed crushed under the weight of nostalgia. Although there was a lot to critique about the film, I still think the older Veronica deserves another shot: if we saw a well-done sequel to Veronica Mars, fans might even be able to get behind the unpredictable web spin-off Play It Again, Dick.

One of the things the first film adaptation did well was to introduce a focused, older V. Mars, then slowly break her down to a still-mature version of her impulsive teenage self. But while Veronica was a fully fleshed-out character, Mac and Wallace seemed to take a back seat. In the next film adaptation, it would be great to see Rob Thomas explore Veronica's sidekicks more in-depth, since the show made them beloved by fans, and gave them a great foundation for further development. Although I would also love to see Dick play a large role in any future movies, his digital series might fulfill that need in the meantime.

It would also be fantastic to see a nod to the much-discussed cancelled season of Veronica Mars, where V was supposed to enter the FBI. Now that she has a law degree and reignited passion for crime, it's possible that Veronica could join the force and serve up justice to southern California in an official capacity. However, even if this is too extreme a direction for the sequel to a crowd-funded movie adaption, Thomas will have to keep the fan-abating self-referential humor flowing. The in-jokes of the first movie version kept its pulse going, and I'd love to see them go even further.

Since another movie is unlikely, I'll put it all out there: I'd also like to see Duncan Kane resurface, so fans can see how he's spent the last 10-15 years with his daughter. But even if Veronica Mars comes to an end at three seasons, a movie, a web series, and a series of novels, it's great to know Kristen Bell still cares about all of us Marshmallows.

Image: Warner Bros.