Lethal Weapon 5

Lethal Weapon 5 is set to bring back Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the starring roles for the franchise. And we could see some familiar faces along the way.

Lethal Weapon 5 News

Martin Riggs

Mel Gibson

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Roger Murtaugh

Danny Glover

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The Lethal Weapon 5 rumors have been ongoing for years. The amazingly successful franchise began back in 1987 with the original Mel Gibson–Danny Glover Lethal Weapon, and the following three sequels came out at a decent pace, with the longest wait being between Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).

It has been 24 years since we’ve seen the likes of Riggs and Murtaugh (unless you count the Fox Lethal Weapon series) so one would think and understand that the franchise was done. Not so fast. Lethal Weapon 5 is coming.

LETHAL WEAPON 5 WAS ANNOUNCED IN 2020

The announcement came at The Hollywood Reporter’s Producers Roundtable, one that included Dan Lin, the producer of the TV series Lethal Weapon. In it, he came straight out saying, “We’re trying to make the last Lethal Weapon movie. And [Richard] Donner’s coming back. The original cast is coming back. And it’s just amazing. The story itself is very personal to him. Mel [Gibson] and Danny [Glover] are ready to go, so it’s about the script.”

Lin mentioned the “original cast” is back but offered no details on what “original” means? Does that mean we will see Darlene Love as Trish Murtaugh and Traci Wolfe as Rianne Murtaugh? Or does “original” mean the likes of Joe Pesci and Rene Russo? Hopefully, we find out soon, but chances are 77-year-old Joe Pesci will not be coming out of retirement again to play Leo Getz. Then again, it was recently announced that Pesci will be joining Pete Davidson and Edie Falco in Bupkis, a new comedy series on the Peacock Network.

Lin also spoke about Richard Donner returning. Sadly, Richard Donner passed away in July. The legendary director was 91 at the time and his death left the fate of Lethal Weapon 5 in doubt. But Mel Gibson said he and Donner had spoken before the latter passed away. Apparently, they had come to an agreement that if Donner were to pass that Gibson would take over as the director for the film. Donner knew his health was failing and saw it as a real possibility that he wouldn’t be around to direct the movie when it was finally made.

MEL GIBSON CONFIRMS HE IS DIRECTING LETHAL WEAPON 5

Lethal Weapon 5 is a go, according to series star Mel Gibson, who is also handling directing duties after the untimely passing of series director Richard Donner in July 2021. Gibson actually said he was taking over the directing back in January when he spoke with Entertainment Tonight.

“Yeah, I am directing that. I’m really looking forward to it. I wish I wasn’t directing it. I wish Richard Donner was still here to do it but left us untimely, and he actually asked me, he said ‘Hey kid, if I don’t make it, you’ll take the reins, huh?’ I told him to shut up. I think it’s an honor for me to be able to carry the flag for him.”

MEL GIBSON SAYS THE WARNER BROS MERGER DELAYED THE MOVIE

Mel Gibson recently gave fans an update as to where the Lethal Weapon 5 production stands.

“It’s [coming along] great, we’ve got a really good screenplay that I developed,” he said to Screen Rant before correcting himself. “Well, Donner developed it, Richard Donner, of course, developed it with Richard Wenk, and they had a really good template. I had the honor of sitting down, after Richard passed away, with the writer and doing a couple more drafts and trying to do it in the spirit of what we thought Donner might [want], because I knew the guy so well. We tried to get that flavor, and we were pretty happy with what we came up with.”

But Gibson did offer this sobering outlook while trying to remain positive. “The only delay is now with all the shake-up at Warners, with Discovery coming in and the new boss, and they chop everyone else up and throw them away and get new people,” he continued. “It always takes time for these companies to regroup, so that’s been a delay, but I’m pretty confident we’ll get this one up on its feet, probably shoot it in the first quarter of the New Year.”

LETHAL WEAPON 5 HAS BEEN PLANNED SINCE 2008

Sure Lethal Weapon 5 is happening now, but it’s taken a long time to get here. It was way back in 2008 when talk first began in earnest about a fifth Lethal Weapon.

Director/screenwriter Shane Black (Monster Squad, Last Action Hero, Iron Man 3), who wrote the script for the original Lethal Weapon and helped with the story on number two, was rumored to be putting together the movie. After some bouncing back and forth, the plans were scrapped as Mel Gibson finally declined to reprise his role as Detective Riggs.

Ten years later in 2018 director Richard Donner was ready to go with Lethal Weapon 5. He wanted to call it Lethal Finale. He finally got Gibson to say yes, Glover was already in. But as Donner told the Nerdist’s Maltin On Movies podcast, things weren’t copacetic with the movie studio, which happen to be Warner Bros.

“And I’m ready to do 5. It’s called Lethal Finale. It’s very dark. And we were all set to go and now Warner Bros. is doing their old-fashioned tricks. Not Warner Bros., there’s this guy who runs the studio who’s great but they have these people in the legal department who do the negotiating in the most counter-productive way. They should be sent to a studio and work with the producers and directors and actors, and learn what makes a film, and then negotiate. But it’s just embarrassing.”

Donner goes on to sing the praises of potential Lethal Weapon 5 screenwriter Channing Gibson, who wrote Lethal Weapon 4. “And it’s too bad, because there’s a wonderful writer named Channing Gibson, who wrote 4 for me, and we have a really great story. It IS dark. But I wanted to end it on an emotional note, and I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

MEL GIBSON IS 64 AND DONALD GLOVER IS 74

Are both Gibson, who clocks in at 64 and carries a lot of baggage with him, and Glover, who is a decade older at 74, too old for this sh*t? Both actors are continuing to get tons of work in Hollywood, so it’s not like they’d be rusty. Just a bit aged to be in an action movie like Lethal Weapon 5.

Lethal Weapon 5 is a go, according to series star Mel Gibson, who is also handling directing duties after the untimely passing of series director Richard Donner in July 2021. Gibson actually said he was taking over the directing back in January when he spoke with Entertainment Tonight.

No doubt the 64-year-old Mel Gibson is ready to roll for Lethal Weapon 5, but what about Glover? Gibson called up his partner from the four previous Lethal Weapon movies first to get his blessing on directing the film. “I called Danny [Glover] up, of course, and said ‘Hey, dude, is it okay with you if I direct this?’ He said, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’”

As for the acting part, if Harrison Ford can pull off Indiana Jones at near 80, maybe they can turn back the clock too.

CHRIS ROCK AND JOE PESCI COULD RETURN FOR LETHAL WEAPON 5

It has been 24 years since we last saw the pairing of Glover and Gibson as Murtaugh and Riggs so you may need to forgive them if they aren’t as spry as they once were. So, with those big questions answered, there are a few others that need to be asked. Who, if any, from the first four movies will be returning?

Will fans get to see Rene Russo return as Lorna Cole? How about Chris Rock, fresh off the “slap” heard around the world, as Lee Butters. And what about Joe Pesci’s Leo Getz? Pesci came out of retirement for Martin Scorsese to play Russell Bufalino in the gangster epic The Irishman but there is no word if Pesci would even entertain another Lethal Weapon film.

Gibson will be directing the film off of a script written by Richard Wenk that was tweaked by Gibson. Wenk is best known for films such as The Expendables 2, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and The Equalizer 2. He currently has Kraven the Hunter in production, so the Lethal Weapon 5 script appears to be in good hands. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information about the production presents itself.