In what's sure to be one of Hollywood's more ironic business discussions, The CW boss Mark Pedowitz told reporters at the Television Critic Association's press tour that he ordered a spin-off web series of 'Veronica Mars'.

Details about the project were scarce as Pedowitz said the deal has only just been confirmed. Creator Rob Thomas is assigned to the project. The web show won't be a full continuation of the series but will consist of six to eight short segments of about ten minutes.

'Veronica Mars' aired for two years on UPN before it transferred to The CW. The critical darling with its loyal fan base of 2.5 million viewers wasn't big enough for the start-up network. Fans were enraged when the show was cancelled in 2007 with an open ending, leaving the lives of their favorite characters in peril. They sent Mars bars and marshmallows, both references to the show, to the headquarters of The CW and even rented a plane with a banner. It didn't matter. Then head of the network, Dawn Ostroff, placed her bet on other shows (few of which end up pulling higher ratings). The following years saw some rumors of a potential movie but things weren't serious until last year. Thomas and lead-actress Kristen Bell encouraged fans to donate to the 'Kickstarter' project to make the film. The goal was $2 million. That goal was met within 10 hours, a record. The project ended up with $5 million. Producer Warner Bros promised to take up distribution. After six years, the fans saved their show.

The movie is set to premiere in March in the US but has garnered a lot of attention along the road. Rob Thomas tweeted yesterday about the webshow starring actor Ryan Hansen as he tries to get a spin-off off the ground for his character Dick Casablancas. Though several news sites covered this, it sounds too meta even for Thomas. If the movie does well in theaters, Thomas has shown interest in a sequel.