The Guild reunion film smashes fundraising goals, earning $2.5 million in less than a day

Long before both web series and crowdfunding became commonplace, Felicia Day used PayPal donations to fund the first season of The Guild, a show about a group of MMORPG players. Fans of the series have come through again in a big way, pledging more than $2.5 million in less than 24 hours to produce a feature film to celebrate The Guild’s 20th anniversary in 2027.

“I’m honestly overwhelmed by the support this campaign has received,” Day said in a statement. “This community has been part of The Guild since the very beginning, and the fact that fans are once again coming together to help us tell this story means more than I can say. Reaching our goal is an incredible first step, and I cannot wait to reunite the Knights of Good and make this movie together.”

No stretch goals have been revealed yet, but the campaign has already blown past the $1.5 million goal required to make The Guild: Ren Faire’d. The full original cast will reunite for a trip to the renaissance faire, along with some guest stars including Wil Wheaton, who plays Fawkes, the leader of the Knights of Good’s rival guild, the Axis of Anarchy.

While a digital copy of the movie costs just $20, fans have been spending big on premium packages. A $1,000 premiere bundle, which includes two tickets to a screening, admission to an after-party with the cast, and a signed script, has already sold out with 150 pledges. There’s only one of 10 spots left for the $25,000 guild master bundle, which secures a role as an extra, a seat at a pre-premiere dinner with the cast, and an hour-long gaming session with Day.

Day told Polygon in a virtual interview that the script has already been written, and that she was confident that fans would allow her to bypass Hollywood to make the movie the way she wanted.

“I wish I could have a script reading publicly and just show how cool these characters are, but I want to save all the surprises,” Day said. “If you want to support some fun, funny people making stuff and sticking it to the man, please sign up and help us.”