Give credit to the erstwhile Gerald Ford: The Chevy Chase Show, Cops and Robbersons, Man of the House, Caddyshack II, Nothing But Trouble and a slew of other productions of dubious appeal can’t keep Chevy Chase down for the count. The former Fletch’s career looks to be heating up after a long time in the cold, and that’s more than just a metaphor after Chase has landed a role in Hot Tub Time Machine with John Cusack, Rob Corddry and Crispin Glover.
The project, directed by Steve Pink (Accepted) and scripted by relative newcomer Josh Heald, follows a bunch of
unsatisfied guys who get thrown back to their younger days in 1987
via their Jacuzzi. Chase plays a mysterious repairman who dispenses pearls of wisdom
and may or may not be behind the metaphysical road trip. Sounds like he’s taking the Don Knotts role from Pleasantville and applying it to Peggy Sue Got Married.
Chase has most recently been seen on Chuck as Ted Roark, the tech billionaire and evil head of rogue spy agency FULCRUM, and former rival of Chuck’s dad, Steve Bartowski (Scott Bakula). He’s also recently had a couple of guest spots as Stan Harris on Brothers & Sisters and is slated to appear in the indie film, Stay Cool for the Polish Brothers. Taking a trip back to the ’80s must have seemed like a great prospect to Chase, as that was the time of his best work in films such as the Vacation films, the original Caddyshack, Spies Like Us, and the aforementioned Fletch.
The THR.com article also mentions that Chase could actually reprise his Fletch role in a passing-of-the-torch update of that franchise, as his journalist nephew would take over with Uncle Irwin mentoring him and offering advice. That would more than likely be a disaster of course, but at this point is as likely as any of the other scenarios for that film.