Felicia Day, a prominent figure in geek culture and creator of the 2007 web series The Guild, has announced a Kickstarter campaign to produce a 20th-anniversary movie. The film, slated for release in 2027, will bring back the original cast for an adventure set at a renaissance faire.
Day expressed frustration with Hollywood's approach to rebooting her series, stating that pitches often involved replacing the original cast with younger actors and misunderstanding the show's core appeal. "I just shuddered at the thought of some person who didn't understand the show and the community looking at the script and being like, ‘Can this person be Paul Rudd?'" Day told Polygon. She decided to pursue the project independently, drawing inspiration from the success of other content creators who have launched projects directly to their audience.
The Guild, which began as a low-budget web series filmed in Day's home, is considered a precursor to the current wave of successful films and series produced by online content creators. Day's influence is recognized by the inclusion of her costume from the series' viral song "(Do You Want to Date My) Avatar" in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Day explained that the decision to set the movie at a renaissance faire, a location she favors, reflects her current interests and gaming habits. No longer actively playing MMORPGs, she gravitates towards single-player RPGs and cozy co-op games like Stardew Valley. Motherhood also played a role in her decision, as she aims to create content on her own terms, particularly as she observes fewer opportunities for women her age in Hollywood.
In addition to the movie, the Kickstarter campaign will fund a new 120-page The Guild tabletop role-playing game from Hit Point Press and a dating sim card game called Swords & Sweethearts. The latter features collaborations with celebrities such as Troy Baker, Jonathan Frakes, Alan Tudyk, and Brent Spiner, alongside original characters like Codex and Tinkerballa. Other rewards for backers include merchandise like a custom popcorn bucket, pins, stickers, T-shirts, signed posters, and a graphic novel omnibus.