Is a Veronica Mars movie in the works?

[Brian Damage]

Yeah, yeah, okay, so it would've been kinda cool to be in Beijing last week when Michael Phelps won his record-shattering eighth gold medal. But it would've been even cooler to have had a ringside seat in Rob Thomas' office instead: At around the same time the man from Atlantis was making the splash heard 'round the world, the creator of Veronica Mars was sitting down with his beloved, lamented series' star, Kristen Bell, to discuss bringing the cult hit to the big screen.

Seriously.

The impromptu powwow took place last week in the offices of Thomas' Hollywood-based production company, which just so happens to be located on the same lot where Bell is shooting Heroes. "Kristen and I ran into each other, and we did discuss a Veronica movie," confirms Thomas, who says he has also had "a few conversations" with Mars executive producer Joel Silver.

"It's very tough to focus on it right now with two pilots on my plate," adds Thomas, referring to his two ABC projects, a reworking of his '90s dramedy Cupid and an adaptation of the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune. "But as soon as I have any free time, that's my top priority."

For her part, Bell considers it a "major compliment" that people are still interested in Mars. "[Fans] still ask me all the time if the show's coming back. Emotionally, I don't want to think about Veronica Mars every day because it really does make me sad."

Regarding her recent chat with Thomas about a Mars feature, the star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, perhaps not wanting to jinx things, flashes a Cheshire cat grin and says, "We'll see."

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/08/...s'%20Movie