Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas still plans to bring his canceled heroine to the big screen, even if he's busier than ever now that ABC gave his Cupid remake a series pickup this week. Though the writer/producer/director acknowledges that helming a new show ''certainly doesn't speed up the VM movie possibility,'' the project remains high on his to-do list. Recently, he even met with a game Kristen Bell to discuss the plot of a Mars 2.0, which, contrary to speculation, would likely find the teenage gumshoe battling crime in college rather than on the government's payroll. ''The FBI scenario was more of a 'What if...?' aimed at getting us a fourth season [before the show was axed],'' says Thomas. ''I would want to bring back our key players, and it would be tough to believe that the FBI stationed Veronica in Neptune.''
Casting About
This season, Desperate Housewives' Lynette will stare down her biggest
threat yet: Mrs. Robinson. Producers are looking to move a new couple on
to Wisteria Lane, and rumor has it the missus will promptly put the
moves on one of Lynette's rapidly aged twin terrors.
Ask Ausiello
Q: Do you have any scoop on the new season of 30 Rock?
—Josh
A: Yep, and it's Lemon-flavored. I hear that when Liz attends her 20-year
high school reunion during November sweeps, we'll learn something about
Tina Fey's morally superior character that's both shocking and deeply
ironic: Liz was a Mean Girl!
Q: Got any spoilers on Chuck? Please, I'm writing to you all the way from
Spain!
—Miguel
A: What a coincidence! I'm writing back to you all the way from my desk,
which was made in...China. Um, never mind. Chuck boss Josh Schwartz
tells me ''a major character dies'' in the Sept. 29 season premiere. Don't
bet on it being Ryan McPartlin's Captain Awesome: Morgan Fairchild and
Bruce ''Scarecrow'' Boxleitner have just been cast as his parents, who
show up later in the season to help plan his wedding to Ellie.
Q: What else can you tell us about Michelle Rodriguez's return to Lost?
—Elana
A: Considering that neither M.Rod nor the show's producers want to discuss
Ana Lucia's one-episode resurrection, not much! But the badass will
reappear in this season's second episode — the same one that marks the
return of Cheech Marin as Hurley's dad. This suggests to me that the
hour is likely Hurley-centric and, given his encounter with Charlie's
ghost last season, his run-in this time with Ana Lucia will also be
imaginary. How's that for brilliant deduction? Anyone? Watson?
Ausiello has news from all across the dial every day at EW.com
