Felicia Day’s crowdfunding campaign for The Guild: Ren Faire’d raised more than $5.7 million by Thursday, August 20, officially breaking the record for highest crowdfunded movie in history previously held by the “Veronica Mars” film project.
The web series that helped define early online comedy is officially returning as a feature film. Day’s project reached $5,704,000 raised by a combined 37,455 backers as of Thursday morning, according to Variety, with totals continuing to climb toward $5,770,628 as reported by TheWrap.
Day, who created, wrote, and starred in the original six-season web series starting in 2007, launched the Kickstarter campaign after receiving an unwelcome pitch from Hollywood.
How a Hollywood Reboot Pitch Sparked the Record-Breaking Reunion Movie
While she was initially wary of committing to a massive film project, a phone call from a Hollywood executive changed her mind according to the Los Angeles Times.
“They wanted to recast me in my own show. And in that moment I knew I had to bring the cast together again and make a reunion movie. Fund it by going straight to the community that helped us defy the system over and over for nearly twenty years. So we could laugh together again. Celebrate gamers and geeks again. And do it OUR way.”
Felicia Day, Creator and Star
Reuniting the Original Cast and Expanding into Tabletop Gaming
The Guild: Ren Faire’d brings back the core ensemble behind the trailblazing web comedy. The film features Codex (Felicia Day), Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh), Vork (Jeff Lewis), Tink (Amy Okuda), Clara (Robin Thorsen), and Bladezz (Vincent Caso) as they embark on an adventure at a Renaissance Faire noted by TheWrap. Guest stars including Nathan Fillion, Misha Collins, and Wil Wheaton are also attached to the production according to Variety.
Surpassing the initial goal on the first day of fundraising allowed the production to expand its scope noted the Los Angeles Times. Funds exceeding $4.5 million are designated to enhance the film while also supporting Conludo, a new game-playing series created alongside Wil Wheaton in the spirit of their previous collaborative platform reported the Los Angeles Times. Backer perks also include a tabletop roleplaying game and a card-game-based dating simulator titled Swords & Sweethearts according to IndieWire.
Navigating California Tax Credits and Independent Production Realities
Despite the historic crowdfunding success, Day encountered significant hurdles trying to finance the project locally within California’s official systems. Variety reported that the film applied for and was denied a California tax credit.
Day pointed out that only five percent of the California Film Commission’s allotted tax credit funds are earmarked for independent projects under $10 million, creating an intensely competitive bracket noted Variety.
“That is the way you revitalize this industry, not hoarding all the money for a couple $500 million projects where A-list stars are benefiting and A-list producers and big studios are benefiting, and then indies just don’t have a chance to stay in L.A.”
Felicia Day, Creator and Filmmaker
Nevertheless, the overwhelming response from nearly 40,000 backers documented by IndieWire ensures that Codex and the Knights of Good will return to screens on their own terms.
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