Still searching for 'Fletch'

Posted Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 5:02 PM Central

by John Couture

Remember back in the Summer of 2000 when we were just getting over our Y2K hysteria and Kevin Smith set all the fan boys to drool over news that he'd secured the rights Fletch Won and that Smith regular Jason Lee was set to take over for Chevy Chase?

Of course, this was long before Lee became a household name thanks to My Name Is Earl and the brass at Miramax balked at the idea of an "unknown" top-lining their new franchise.

Flash-forward eight years in the future and Jason Lee not only has a successful TV show, but the top DVD release this week in Alvin & The Chipmunks.

Oops.

Perhaps the Miramax brass should have listened to Kevin Smith. Since then every one from Zach Braff to John Krasinski to the latest "Fletch" wannabe Joshua Jackson.

But Jackson tells MTV that he's no longer up for the part.

"In the way that rights are assigned in this business, when it didn’t happen last summer, I think the rights went back to different person. So the guy that offered me the job, I don’t think owns it anymore, which is unfortunate."

Personally, I think it's a blessing in disguise. I think it's time for them to go back to where this all started and give it back to Kevin Smith. Let's see what we should have seen nearly a decade ago, Jason Lee in the role he was born to play.

What do you think? Who should be the next cub reporter with a flair for the ladies?