As if they didn’t spend enough time working together on TV's medical sitcom Scrubs, it seems creator Bill Lawrence and star Zach Braff are looking at a way to collaborate even when they’re not making the show.
Because Lawrence has just been hired by The Weinstein Company to take over writing and directing on Fletch Won.
Famously adored and developed for years by Kevin Smith – who wanted Jason Lee for the lead – the film acts as a prequel to the Fletch movies of the ‘80s. Adapted from Gregory McDonald’s novels, they featured Chevy Chase as Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, a low-rent journo-turned-‘tec. McDonald’s Fletch Won charts Fletcher’s early days solving his first murder.
Lawrence was convinced by Braff to throw his hat into the ring, and the Weinstein team jumped at the idea. "This is an important franchise for our company, and we can't think of a better person than Bill to take the Fletch story all the way back to the beginning," president of production Michael Cole told The Hollywood Reporter. "His work on Scrubs speaks for itself, and his ideas for adapting Fletch Won are hilarious and incredibly smart."
To his credit, Lawrence is a major fan: "Zach knows I can recite the original Fletch movie line for line," said Lawrence, who also realises what a big, cult-shaped challenge it will be. “"My closest friends from high school don't care about my career," he said. "This is the only job I've ever gotten where every one of them said, 'Congratulations,' and then said, 'Don't fuck it up.' " One of his big plans is to make the film a little edgier. “"There were definitely broader, sketchier parts in the earlier films," he said. "I'd compare this one more to Beverly Hills Cop, where there was a sense of real jeopardy."
Now all he needs is a star, and considering A) Braff is a fan who was also considered by Smith during his work on the film and B) Lawrence can fire him from Scrubs if he says no to the idea, we figure the Garden State star is a shoo-in. The pair will likely start work in April, once the sitcom finishes shooting its fifth season.
Looks like that Dr. Acula film will have to stay in development hell a little longer.