Jon Hamm Will Play Fletch for Miramax

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Jon Hamm is about to start using Jane Doe as his byline. According to Deadline, the Mad Men star will play the lead role in the finally-materializing Fletch reboot at Miramax. Directed by Greg Mottola (of Superbad and the wonderful, underappreciated Paul), the reboot will be based on the second entry in Gregory McDonald’s series of novels, Confess, Fletch, in which Fletch is suspected of a murder he didn’t commit and must smoke out the real killer while fending off a wily detective. Fletch the movie, which was directed by Michael Ritchie and starred Chevy Chase as the fast-talking reporter, was based on the first book; its sequel, Fletch Lives, was not based on one of the novels. A Fletch reboot has been in the works for some time now; at one point, Kevin Smith was planning to write and direct an adaptation of prequel Fletch Won, with View Askew regular Jason Lee as Fletch. Confess, Fletch (if that’s what they end up calling it) will be written by Zev Borow, whose credits include several episodes of Chuck – on which he also served as story editor – and the Lethal Weapon TV series (which doesn’t exist because Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are Riggs and Murtaugh). There’s no word on when filming may begin.

I didn’t realize the Fletch reboot was back on again. This is one of those productions that seems to be permanently stuck in development hell (see the Logan’s Run remake), with a new creative team and star tossing their hat in every so often, only for the project to fall apart. Jon Hamm is an excellent piece of casting; he’s handsome, like Fletch is described as being in the books, and he has plenty of experience playing a morally damaged guy that can still make the audience root for him. Just as importantly, he can be funny when it’s needed, and a Fletch movie will certainly need it. (A lot of people say that the books are darker than the films and not funny; they’re half right.) I’m pleased that they’re going with Confess, Fletch, too; I’ve read the first four of McDonald’s books, and Confess, Fletch may be my favorite. This is where McDonald’s other recurring hero, Detective Flynn, is introduced, and he’s a wonderful character that, if written properly, could provide a scene-stealing role for the right actor. Greg Mottola and Zev Borow should be good fits as well; Superbad and Paul are both excellent comedies, and Borow cut his teeth on Chuck, which melded comedy with spy action and drama quite well (till the final season, but Borow wasn’t on the show anymore). I’ll always see Chevy Chase as Fletch, but I’m keen to see what Jon Hamm and these creatives put together.

Will Jon Hamm make a good Fletch? Have you read the books? Is there a single human being who’s disappointed that Zack Braff never got a crack at the part? Let us know in the comments and stick around Geeks + Gamers for more movie news!