The new Fletch?

IMDb reports that Joshua Jackson, best known as Pacey from his days on Dawson's Creek, has apparently landed the role of Fletch in the upcoming adaptation of Fletch Won.

Few may know this, but Fletch didn't actually begin with the 1985 Chevy Chase movie. Fletch was originally a novel that turned into a series of like 9 or 10 books by Gregory McDonald (and Fletch Lives wasn't part of that series of novels, either; it was an original screenplay based on the characters). Having read the Fletch books a long time ago (i.e., middle school) and being a big fan of the Chevy Chase film, I must admit to being surprised when I first got wind of Kevin Smith's desire to make Fletch Won a few years back. Though that surprise eventually gave way to a reality check on my part, because I realized that Fletch Won would probably remain more true to the original Gregory McDonald stories than the Chevy Chase movies did.

In all truthfulness, the movie adaptation of Chevy Chase's Fletch was maybe only 50% faithful to the original novel. The basic premise of the story remained the same, but in accordance with Hollywood tradition, many liberties were taken with its big-screen adaptation. In the Chevy Chase film, Fletch was more of a fun-loving character, whereas in the books, he was kind of a slacker and a bum—but he also happened to be an excellent investigative journalist. Having gotten used to Chevy Chase as Fletch, it might be a bit of a shocker to see Joshua Jackson portray the character as he was originally conceived by Gregory McDonald, but that's not a criticism of Joshua Jackson as an actor! It's merely an observation about how people grow accustomed to things and have to readjust to something entirely new—sort of like how audiences had to rethink their preconceptions of James Bond when Casino Royale was released.

Some Fletch purists might be disappointed that Chevy Chase won't resume the title role, but if Fletch Won is going to remain true to the original novel, Fletch was a much younger man in this installment, so it makes sense to have Joshua Jackson take on the role of Fletch. The only part where I might feel disappointment, though, is the fact that Kevin Smith isn't directing; Steve Pink is purportedly going to helm this picture.