A couple of comic casting bits to close out the night:

  • Jason Sudeikis is in talks to take over where Chevy Chase left off in Fletch Won, the long-gestating reboot of the Fletch series.  Naturally, Warner Bros. sees this as the first of a potential comedy franchise about the investigative reporter.
  • Ed Helms is attached to star in Epic Fail, a comedy about a "highly unorthodox special forces team."  Helms developed the original idea with Nicky Weinstock for Lionsgate.

More on both projects after the jump.

fletch won book cover

Chase starred in two Fletch movies in the 80s, adapted from Gregory McDonald's mystery novels.  No sequel came to fruition in the 90s despite some chatter.  Kevin Smith came on board for a proposed 2004 shoot and threw out names like Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon, and Adam Sandler, but that fell through.  Scrubcreator Bill Lawrence followed and wanted Zach Braff as Fletch, but again, no dice.

Several writers and many drafts later, Warner Bros. finally found a version they like, submitted by David List.  The new take is described as a "gritty action comedy with heart."  THR says Fletch Won will be an origin story closer to McDonald's books than Chase's movies.  McDonald's Fletch Won is a prequel that sees Fletch as a fledgling reporter when he stumbles into his first criminal investigation, the murder of a millionaire lawyer.  I can't speak to the difference between the books and the movies, but if Chase's portrayal is a decent representation, the wry Sudeikis is a great fit.  Now let's see if they can actually get the darn thing made.

Here's the logline for Epic Fail:

"An elite but highly unorthodox special forces team takes their dysfunction and excessive firepower on a desperate mission to save America, led by the only soldier more badass and more mustachioed than a Navy SEAL, The Walrus."

Mike Arnold and Chris Poole will write the script based on Helms and Weinstock's original idea.

Here's the 1985 Fletch trailer:

fletch reboot poster