Feeling Quite Depressed About It

Fans of the Fletch franchise might find themselves disappointed.

Greg Mottola, who directed the 2022 film Confess, Fletch, recently shared a disheartening update about his planned sequel. The movie, starring Jon Hamm as Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, rebooted the character originally from Gregory Mcdonald’s novel series. Chevy Chase famously portrayed Fletch in the 1985 comedy Fletch and its 1989 sequel.

Film critic Bilge Ebiri sparked a conversation on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting Hollywood should produce more Fletch movies. Mottola then revealed that his sequel to Confess, Fletch had been shelved. The director attributed this to a leadership change at Miramax, the production company behind the reboot. When Mottola’s film was released, he had already been hired to pen a follow-up based on Mcdonald’s 1978 novel Fletch’s Fortune, which delves into the world of journalism.

“Unfortunately, the new head of Miramax, who controls the rights to all the books, rejected my sequel project,” Mottola shared. The director, also known for Superbad, added, “The Fletch curse got me.”

He continued, “I was told ‘the first one lost money’ — as if there had been any sincere effort to turn a profit. Jon [Hamm] was very enthusiastic about the new script. It’s been quite a downer, but it’s tough to expect a lucky break in the feature film world these days.”

Miramax is now under the leadership of CEO Jonathan Glickman, who replaced Bill Block late last year. According to Mottola, this change negatively impacted the sequel’s chances. “It was bad luck for me that Bill Block got fired,” Mottola posted. He also mentioned, “I got caught in the transition, and my comedy is too dry and unsentimental for the new regime.”

In response to a user noting the film’s poor box office turnout, Mottola agreed but criticized the marketing strategy. “Yes, but they released it in theaters for a week with practically no marketing, then moved it to Showtime without any advertising,” Mottola explained. “It was essentially a streaming movie.” He further lamented, “Feature comedy is having a rough time.”

A source close to the matter told The Hollywood Reporter that Miramax gave the filmmakers a chance to pitch the sequel to other studios. However, this window has since closed.

Jon Hamm expressed earlier this year that he was eager to reprise his role but acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the project. Focusing on a plot where his character is accused of murder while trying to recover missing artwork, Confess, Fletch co-starred John Slattery, Roy Wood Jr., and Marcia Gay Harden.

“We’re trying to make another one, but it’s tough,” Hamm said. “The film didn’t set any box office records, but that’s not everything.” When asked about the sequel script, he confirmed, “Yes, and there are 10 books, so we have a roadmap. Can we follow it? Please?”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter