Back in 1998, movie audiences were treated to the fourth go around for police officers Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. “Lethal Weapon 4” didn’t quite have the magic that the first three films did, but it was still a well-received continuation of the action-comedy, buddy cop franchise. For years afterwards, there were rumors that a fifth film would appear to round out the adventures of the two officers played by Mel Gibson (“Mad Max: The Road Warrior,” “Braveheart“) and Danny Glover (“Mandela,” “Predator 2“).
But a number of things got in the way, one of them being Gibson’s ‘personal issues,’ to put it gently. Here we are in 2024, and we’re closer to a 5th movie actually happening with Gibson in the director’s chair.
After the passing of Richard Donner (“Superman,” “The Goonies“) Gibson said Donner passed the torch to him to continue the franchise. Which does make sense since the late director was still interested in pursuing another film.
Gibson recently spoke about the upcoming film, verifying a screenplay actually exists. According to him, there was a version of the script floating around while Donner was still alive. Gibson has been poking at it, presumably with other writers, ever since. He even alludes to Glover returning to star.
Gibson’s presence in Hollywood has diminished over the years due to his own very publicly witnessed hate-fueled ramblings, but he has remained active. He’s starred in a string of direct to video / streaming projects. But Gibson directing and starring in “Lethal Weapon 5” would be the highest profile thing he’s done since 2006.
As for the franchise itself, it has remained popular enough to get a tv spin-off that ran from 2016 to 2019. Since then, it’s been dormant but still remains a staple on cable channels and has been referenced numerous times on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” To Gibson’s credit, his penchant for directing ultraviolent films that are heavy on action and light on plot could be a good fit for “Lethal Weapon 5,” even if he lacks the technical precision Donner was known for. The strength of this franchise has always relied on its scripts, and how they placed so much emphasis on character relations and dialogue.
You can stream the first film on Amazon here.
