"There was no way out, " recalls Phoenix singer Thomas Mars.

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The series was picked up last year after Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars), who had financed the pilot himself, showed it to Starz executives.

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Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is in talks to helm the project, which is being fast tracked by the young-skewing network.

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When Rob Thomas, creator of the Veronica Mars television programme, sought to fund a film spin-off, he wrote four blog updates to fans in the campaign's first 24 hours.

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Last month Rob Thomas turned to crowdfunder Kickstarter to raise money for a feature film based on his cult WB show, Veronica Mars.

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Thirteen images were beamed back to Earth, and Dr. Nicholas Thomas of the Max Planck Institute in Germany said Deimos would never be more than a "spot" passing over Mars.

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