Development Following the publication of
Gregory Mcdonald's novel
Fletch in 1974, King-Hitzig Productions acquired the film rights. After multiple attempts by
Columbia Pictures to film the novel, production stalled and the rights to
Fletch were eventually acquired by producer Jonathan Burrows in 1976. After Columbia passed on the film, Burrows shopped the film around to other studios. When there was no interest, Burrows tried a new tactic and submitted the script with a different title and put it in a different colored binder. Despite these efforts, there were still no takers, including
Universal Pictures, the studio that would eventually produce and release the film. The studios and distributors that rejected
Fletch between 1975 and 1981 were: Columbia,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
United Artists,
20th Century-Fox,
Paramount,
Warner Bros.,
American International,
General Cinema,
Allied Artists,
Zanuck/
Brown,
Universal,
Viacom,
New Line Cinema,
First Artists,
Pathé, and
Time Life Films. Burrows credits
Michael Douglas (who much earlier was considered for the lead) for having the foresight and determination to get the film made; his half-brother
Peter Douglas ultimately co-produced the film through his production company, Vincent Pictures. When Mcdonald's
Fletch books were optioned, the author retained the right to veto casting choices. He rejected both
Burt Reynolds and
Mick Jagger as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher. When the studio mentioned
Chevy Chase as Fletch, Mcdonald agreed, although he had never seen Chase perform. Throughout the early stages of development,
Jeff Bridges,
Charles Grodin and
Barry Bostwick were among those considered to play Fletch.
George Segal was at one point considered, but turned it down. Burrows also wanted
Richard Dreyfuss, after Chase initially rejected the part. Years later, Chase told Burrows that he never knew about the original offer and that it was his then manager who rejected it. In a 2004 interview with
Entertainment Weekly, Chase confirmed this was his favorite and most successful part. Chase did not officially agree to take the role until after producer Alan Greisman and screenwriter
Andrew Bergman got involved. Mcdonald sent Chase a telegram saying, "I am delighted to abdicate the role of Fletch to you." Bergman remembers that he wrote the screenplay very fast. "I did the first draft in four weeks ... Then there was a certain amount of improv, and something that we used to call dial-a-joke," said Bergman.
Phil Alden Robinson also did some uncredited work on the script. Mcdonald read the script and was angered by the deviations from his original text. He wrote to the studio and listed his many objections. Director
Michael Ritchie invited Mcdonald to the set of the film, and took him out to dinner where, according to Mcdonald, "Point by point, he showed me where I was wrong. I was beautifully chewed out."
Filming Principal photography for
Fletch began in May 1984. Parts of the film were shot in
Salt Lake City International Airport,
Provo and
Orem, Utah, also
Ogden, Utah, looking east from Mountain View Motel across the 24th Street viaduct. According to actor
Tim Matheson,
Fletch was Chase's first film performance after recovering from his
drug addiction. However, the studio hired director Michael Ritchie to keep Chase focused and comfortable on set. During principal photography, Ritchie would do one take sticking close to the script and then another take allowing Chase to
ad-lib. The comedian enjoyed working with director Ritchie, because he gave him the freedom to improvise: "It all began when [co-star] Tim Matheson asked me what my name was. Right away, with a straight face: '
Ted Nugent'."
Post-production "Chevy was very hot," recalled Bergman. "And the great thing was that Universal always thought
Fletch was a hit movie, and they treated it like a hit, even when the first previews weren't that good. They never got frightened. They just said this is a hit, they were selling it like a hit, and then it was a hit. That was a very fun project." The narration was added during post-production. ==Soundtrack==