Zach Braff looks to Kickstarter to fund 'Garden State' follow-up

Nine years after "Garden State" hit theaters, director Zach Braff is looking to direct his second film, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The film, a self-written screenplay called "Wish I Was Here," is about a struggling actor's existential crisis.

Braff told the LA Times that the actor in the film isn't the only one struggling -- the "Scrubs" star has been unable to secure the financing and creative freedom he needs to produce the film, despite the success of "Garden State," which brought in $35.8 million worldwide on a $2.5 million budget.

"There are money guys willing to finance the project," Braff said in a video he posted online Wednesday. "In order to protect their investment, they're insisting on having final cut. Also, they want to control how the film is cast."

So Braff has turned to online fundraising site Kickstarter to raise the money. TV show "Veronica Mars" was able to raise more than $5.7 million on the site -- far beyond their initial $2 million goal.

Braff seeks $2 million in the next 30 days. If his campaign is successful, Braff said it would give him the freedom to cast actors like Jim Parsons from “Big Bang Theory” in the role of his friend.

So far, more than 6,000 backers have pledged nearly $470,000. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing -- projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. According to the site, 44 percent of projects reach their fundraising goals.

Without Kickstarter, Braff says he will be forced into making sacrifices.

“What if instead of your friend, [Parsons] was a sexy pool boy? And what if that sexy pool boy was played by Justin Bieber?”

Click here to see the Kickstarter and see who Braff has chosen for production design and cast, as well as character sketches for "Wish I Was Here."