Apparently, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are not too old for this sh*t.
During a producers roundtable discussion for The Hollywood Reporter, each of the six producers got to a point where they were discussing projects that they’ve been trying to make for years. Dan Lin, who was there for his film The Two Popes, mentioned that Lethal Weapon 5 is on the way and that the original cast members are all coming back.
“We’re trying to make the last Lethal Weapon movie. And Dick Donner’s coming back. The original cast is coming back. And it’s just amazing. The story itself is very personal to him. Mel and Danny are ready to go, so it’s about the script.”
That’s not a definitive yes to the movie happening, but I don’t think Lin would’ve mentioned it if he wasn’t confident it was going to get off the ground.
Lethal Weapon 5 has certainly been in development for years, as Gibson’s alcohol and legal issues in the mid-’00s probably didn’t help our chances of ever seeing this buddy cop franchise again. However, the actor hinted at the possibility back in 2017 while promoting Daddy’s Home 2. Not to mention that We Got This Covered reported a few months ago that the film was happening and now, it seems that Lin has semi-confirmed our scoop.
It’s been 22 years since Riggs and Murtaugh were tearing up the streets of Los Angeles and even back then, Lethal Weapon 4 felt like the end of the series. Murtaugh had been saying he’s too old for police work going all the way back to the original film, but in the fourth entry, it was Riggs who was finally succumbing to the rigors of it. By the end of the movie, Murtaugh became a grandfather and Riggs a father. There was even a slew of behind the scenes photos as the credits rolled indicating a finality to the franchise.
Perhaps it’s because of the recent success of Bad Boys returning that Lethal Weapon is getting some juice. And if this movie does in fact happen, Richard Donner coming back to direct would probably be the biggest surprise. He hasn’t made a feature film since 16 Blocks in 2006 and at 89, he’s no spring chicken.
In any case, we’d certainly love to see the old team get back together for Lethal Weapon 5. Just be sure to throw in Joe Pesci while you’re at it, too.
