Welcome back for a brand new edition of Interview! This time Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan is sitting down again with one of the LRF writing community's elder statesmen, Chad Taylor!
PD: Let’s start with the obvious challenge — Fletch is such an iconic role because of Chevy Chase. How did you approach reinventing the character for Glen Powell?
CT: Like most, my first introduction to Fletch was certainly through Chase’s performance. I still find that film to be such a perfect distillation of his comedic sensibilities. But when I read Gregory McDonald’s original novel, I encountered a Fletch quite different from the one that Chevy put on screen. Whereas that film is very gag-based, I wanted this to be a darker comedy about a series of mysteries and a charming jerk protagonist doing just enough to get some real answers. And I immediately knew Glen was the first on my call list.
PD: This version of Fletch pairs Glen Powell with Richard Linklater. How much did you shape the tone of the script around Powell’s strengths and Linklater’s style?
CT: I think it started with figuring out what tone I wanted for the film, and I knew I was drawn to making my own stoner noir (along the lines of The Long Goodbye, Inherent Vice, etc.). Richard Linklater is my all-time favorite filmmaker and I knew he could deliver the laid-back tone I was aiming for. Plus his established rapport with Glen made for an easy match when it came to a unified vision. The biggest change was shifting the setting from California to Texas; while L.A. is the most common setting for these type of films (and the original Fletch novel), I was drawn to moving to the gulf coast for both a new set of surroundings and to better fit our director's Texas roots.
PD: As one of LRF's longest tenured and most successful writers, what advice do you have for other LRF writers?
CT: I’ve found the best times I’ve had at LRF is when I felt like I had a strong connection to what I was writing. And there’s two guiding principles that I follow with that; the first is “write what you know. “ Not every story has to be autobiographical, but every film has an opportunity to bring in your own observations and understandings of the world. And that’s what really helps fill in the little world-deepening details in between the plot. And then second is “write what you’d like to see.” First and foremost, I am a movie lover and so my projects reflect films I know I would want to buy a ticket to. And that's the standard that I hold myself to. I want to see a stoner noir film. Does everybody? Probably not, but I love those kind of films and know there's some group of filmgoers out there who do as well.
PD: You’ve worked with both DC and Marvel characters at LRF. Without spoiling anything, are there any characters or stories you're planning to revisit?
CT: I can officially confirm that DC’s Scarlet Speedster will make a return in future seasons and I’m excited about some of the villains we’re bringing into the fold on that one. While that’s it for my upcoming comics-based projects, I have been drawn to the idea of returning to the X-Men universe in some type of way. Gambit and Rogue was one of my favorite things to write and I would love to find another scaled-down mutant melodrama to write within Dwight’s well-oiled machine.
PD: What's next for you?
CT: Next up will be a return to the Mortal Kombat universe, which was mainly the work of the incomparable APJ but I made some contributions. Then I've got a small town Midwestern drama (the Chad Taylor special, I suppose) and a very unique two-movie project with another writer. Speaking of, I also have some collaborations in the works that may see me reuniting with some of my most well-known co-writers. I'm afraid my most prolific years are behind me, but I still get a particular joy from finishing a script and seeing the reception when it finally hits the big screen.
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