Chevy Chase Out as Jon Hamm Takes Lead in ‘Confess, Fletch’ Trailer

The first few seconds of today’s Confess, Fletch trailer give more Sterling Cooper energy than Los Angeles Times newsroom vibes, but the comparisons between Mad Men and Jon Hamm‘s latest project end there. Hamm is reuniting with John Slattery for the Fletch spinoff, and he’s trading his ad tricks for investigative tips as Chevy Chase‘s successor in the long-dormant franchise.

Confess, Fletch stars Hamm as the titular reporter, who finds himself at the center of the case he’s digging into. This time around, Fletch is poking around an art theft and murder case…until the detective (Roy Wood Jr.) becomes convinced he just may have a connection to the crimes. But Fletch has his own list of suspects, and he’s determined to crack the case and clear his name.

Hamm certainly hams it up in the trailer, cheekily proclaiming he’s “adorable” at one point and asking a cop for a macchiato at another. In fact, the two-and-a-half minute preview is pretty much just a reel of Hamm delivering one classic Fletch quip after another.

The official description for Confess, Fletch teases the movie as a “delightful comedy romp.” It reads, “Jon Hamm stars as the roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch, who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection.

“The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit—from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend,” the description continues. “Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.”

Slattery and Hamm are up to their old antics as a workplace duo in Confess, Fletch, but the comedy pulls plenty of its all-star cast from outside the world of Mad Men. The film also stars Annie Mumolo, Ayden Mayeri, Lorenza Izzo, Kyle MacLachlan and Marcia Gay Harden.

The original Fletch premiered in 1985 and starred Chase as the wise guy reporter. Chase reprised his role for a sequel, Fletch Lives, in 1989. With the notoriously cranky and hard to work with Chase now 78 years old, it’s clear that the movie series was aiming to go in a new direction, rather than the now de rigueur legacy sequel, a la Top Gun: Maverick. Whether Chase will make a cameo of some sort is TBD.

Confess, Fletch premieres in theaters and on VOD Sept. 16. Watch the full trailer in the video above.