(Joshua Gilmore-Staff Writer)

It’s a given, the world of Hollywood will stick to a sure thing and we are looking down the barrel of more reboots and remakes. The question is what property will be that best bet and Miramax has put their chips on the FLETCH line… again.

The studio has announced that the investigative reporter, originally played by Chevy Chase, will return to the big screen (or small, depending the state of movie viewing) with Jon Hamm entering the role of Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher.

“Fletch’s duration over audiences – whether told on paper or the big screen – entertains all and we could not be more thrilled to see what twenty-first century twist these artists create,” said Miramax CEO Bill Block.

The FLETCH world has been in a holding pattern for several years, with reboots that have gotten lost in pre-production hell. Now, with this development, the fans of this franchise can look forward a new chapter for this character. Along with acting duties, Hamm will step into the role of producer with manager Connie Tavel. Also, Greg Mottola is set to direct this production and television writer, Zev Borow is set to pen the screenplay.

“Producing this film with Jon has been a long-time dream of mine and with Zev and Greg on board to write and direct, I really believe that this will be an exciting and modern reimagining of this beloved character,” said Tavel.

Since this is a developing story, a production start date hasn’t been announced and details can change at random, but key plot points have been released. The film will be set in modern days, so we’ll not have a 80’s nostalgia flashback, and will take its story from the 1976 novel “Confess, Fletch” In which a mysterious series of events lands Fletch in the middle of multiple murders, with one of the cases names him as a prime suspect. During his attempts to prove his innocence, Fletch has to search for his fiancée’s stolen art collection and this collection is her only inheritance from her missing, but presumed dead father.

The pieces are in the right place and Fletch could stand a chance of a franchise resurrection, but are the modern movie goers ready for the return of this comedy icon or has this hero been lost in the forgotten cult film wastelands. As the film breaks away from the pre-production hell, fans can hope it’s time for Irwin’s return to the spotlight.