Can you, by any chance remember the cocky smart-ass always ready with a quick one-liner? Never mind, I'll refresh your memory here. Gregory McDonald wrote the first mystery novel in 1974 and Chevy Chase was doing what he does best – played the newspaper reporter in 1985's Fletch and the 1989 sequel Fletch Lives.
So, what? Mhm… nothing, except Warner Bros. has picked up the movie rights for McDonald's books and they've hired David Mandel, former Seinfeld, SNL and Curb Your Enthusiasm penner, to work on a new script.
Mandel recently wrote Sacha Baron Cohen‘s The Dictator and up to that worked on teen-comedy Eurotrip, which he also co-directed and produced.
Firstly, it's not going to be a remake. There is no director attached yet, but producers Steve Golin, Michael Sugar, and David List are hoping for more of a “re-imagining.” The goal is,
smart action comedy that plays out on a bigger canvas than the previous movies.”
The project is reportedly a high priority for the studio and a vehicle for an A-list comedy star. It's rumored that Mandel played out several high-profile writers for the chance to write the script.
Here's the product description for McDonald's first of 11 novels:
Fletch
He's an investigative reporter whose methods are a little unorthodox. Currently he's living on the beach with the strung-out trying to find to the source of the drugs they live for.
Fletch
He's taking more than a little flack from his editor. She doesn't appreciate his style. Or the expense account items he's racking up. Or his definition of the word deadline. Or the divorce lawyers who keep showing up at the office.
Stay tuned and watch the trailer from the original Fletch movie, starring Chevy Chase:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpgwSzz9nX8[/youtube]
Fletch Trailer
