Update: At least two new Jesse Stone movies are in the works according to industry reports. See for example this article from Variety. Production begins in May, with scripts to be co-written by Michael Brandman and Tom Selleck, and the movies will initially air on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries cable network. More on this later.

Last May I posted a review of the Jesse Stone made-for-TV movie series, and it’s by far the most popular thing I’ve ever put on this blog (such as it is). I just got two more comments on it in the last 24 hours, and as with most of the comments they’re from people wanting more Jesse Stone.

CBS seems a lost cause at this point, but I tell you how a Jesse Stone movie could still be done.

I say that with confidence because it’s already been done for something fans missed. Last year, a Kickstarter campaign to fund a Veronica Mars movie succeeded pretty spectacularly, setting a goal of $2 million and actually raising over $5.7 million. (As a result you can find the movie on iTunes.)

A Kickstarter campaign doesn’t need to raise the full production budget, just enough to prove that there’s definitely an audience out there for another Jesse Stone film. Conventional funding can make up the difference, if needed. It just needs somebody with the right connections to make it happen.

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