Jason Sudeikis is the New Fletch in 'Fletch Won'

A remake of the 1985 comedy Fletch has been in the works for a very long time with a lot of people attached at various stages. Most prominent of those was Kevin Smith, who considers the film one of his all-time favorites, and if he couldn't get it off the ground then the thought was nobody could. Warner Bros. took on the project a few years ago and haven't done much with it, but now it's back on with Jason Sudeikis as the bumbling investigate journalist.

According to THR, Sudeikis has nabbed the lead in Fletch Won, the first of a planned franchise based on the books by author Greg McDonald. Apparently it's a role perfect for Saturday Night Live vets as he'll be taking on the part personified by Chevy Chase in the original film and the 1989 sequel, Fletch Lives. David List, a rep for McDonald's estate, wrote the script which will be an origin story described as a "gritty action comedy" and closer in tone to the novels than the straight-comedy of the movies. McDonald wrote the first book in 1974, followed by eleven sequels so there's a wealth of material to draw from if the reboot proves to be a hit.

It'll be interesting to see who is lined up as a director, but it wouldn't be surprising if the studio turned to someone Sudeikis has had success with in the past. He's scored big hits with We're the Millers, The Campaign, and Horrible Bosses, all projects under the Warner Bros. umbrella. Sudeikis is currently set to star in Horrible Bosses 2, due out later this year.