Warner Bros. has hired screenwriter David Mandel to write the reboot of Fletch.  As we reported back in February, Warner Bros. picked up the rights to Gregory Mcdonald's mystery novels for what they're calling not a remake but a "re-imagining", which is studio-speak for remake.  However, since two of the Fletch novels were previously adapted (1985's Fletch and 1989's Fletch Lives, both starring Chevy Chase as the eponymous reporter), I'll call it a reboot.  But whatever you want to call it, Warner Bros. says that this new version "will be a smart action comedy that plays out on a bigger canvas than the previous movies."Per THR, "The 11 mystery books, the first of which was published in 1974, center on a reporter named I.M. Fletcher who juggles writing exposes while avoiding headaches caused by his two ex-wives."  Since I've never read any of the Fletch novels, I don't know if Mandel's the right guy for the job, but his credits include Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming comedy The Dictator, and the underrated EuroTrip (that's right: I'll go to bat for EuroTrip), so I think Warners at least has a talented writer on board.  The project is a high-priority for the studio and they're looking at it as a vehicle for an A-list comedy star.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the first novel.Here's the synopsis for Gregory Mcdonald's 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.

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.

So when multimillionaire Alan Stanwyk offers Fletch the job of a lifetime, which could be worth a fortune, he’s intrigued and decides to do a little investigation. What he discovers is that the proposition is anything but what it seems. [Amazon]

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