Well, this should not come as much of a surprise, but Zach Braff’s Kickstarter project has been a resounding success thus far. The actor managed to meet his goal on Saturday, raising over $2 million for his film “Wish I Was Here” with over 30,000 backers listed on the website. When the project was first announced last week, it seemed everyone in the social media universe had something to say about it. Ironically, the divisive reaction towards Braff’s Kickstarter project probably helped raise funds much faster than normal.
And of course, Zach Braff is more than thankful for the support, tweeting, “Dear Fans, I cannot believe your unbelievable support for WIWH. I wish I could hug each and every one of you.” Sadly, being hugged by Zach Braff was not one of the rewards for pledging money to his movie. Though, depending on how much one donates, you could get a copy of the script, be an extra, have your name written in graffiti, or even have a line in the film.
For those who have not paid much attention to Braff’s project, “Wish I Was Here” tells the story of a 35 year old struggling actor, Aidan Bloom, who’s still trying to find purpose in his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and, to make matters worse, his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for his kids’ private school. So, thanks to the only nearby public school being “on its last legs”, Aidan decides to homeschool them. He decides to teach his kids his own way, avoiding the traditional curriculum, and while doing so “gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.”
Whatever your personal opinions regarding Zach Braff and his Kickstarter project, what will be interesting moving forward is how Braff’s film lives up to this big campaign. Now that Braff can presumably cast whoever he wants and edit the film however he wants, when it’s all said and done, it will be his vision, uncompromised. Plus, after the success of the “Veronica Mars” and Zach Braff campaigns, is this just the beginning of high profile Kickstarter campaigns? Give us your thoughts below. [THR]
