Lethal Weapon 5

PullMyFinger!

It looks like its moving forward;

Richard Donner, the original director of all four Lethal Weapon films, is unlikely to direct the upcoming Lethal Weapon 5. According to Entertainment Weekly, Shane Black will likely direct. Black created the characters and wrote the script for the original film.

The story reportedly revolves around the impending retirement of Martin Riggs (Gibson), who enlists his retired partner Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) to help him crack one last case.

Black apparently wants to introduce two new cops in the film. Gibson will have to apparently approve Black as the director before it becomes official.

Has anyone tried to go back and watch the first ones in recent years? Even the first 2 aint a walk in the park anymore. Not sure about Shane Black, I thought Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was very overrated. Donner ftw!

ziedth

I'm looking forward too this I really didn't like how the last two where becoming more and more comedy(and i use the term loosely) orienated. I'm hoping more for one likes the first two.

I dis-agree with you about kiss kiss bang bang, I thought it was a very very good film and if anything IMO it deserves more recignition then it got.

Pigman II

The Lethal Weapon series has it all, action, comedy, romance! Pity then that all these elements are so poorly executed. Gibson must *really* have hit rock bottom to come back to this crapfest

Mr. K

I really enjoy the first two films, though neither of them are a patch on Die Hard!

homergriffin

I agree with you about Die Hard being the better group of movies but Lethal Weapon series was consistently good. I thought Die Hard was really let down by the last movie.

When is Lethal Weapon 5 due to begin production?

JP Liz

Director Richard Donner has claimed that a fifth Lethal Weapon is "dead in the water" after Mel Gibson rejected an offer to return to the franchise.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Donner, who helmed all four Lethal Weapon films, claimed that Gibson had snubbed the proposed fifth movie.

He said: "Mel turned it down. I would like to think that Mel turned it down because I wasn't involved. Knowing Mel, I would like to think that. Would that be the kind of thing he does? It sure would be."

Donner also blasted producer Joel Silver for not asking him to return as director, saying: "Joel Silver tried to ace me out of it. He tried to put it together but made sure he didn't do it until my contract was up. You know, it's typical of the man. A guy who wasn't even around at the beginning when we started on the first one. He came in late."

He added: "The project is pretty much dead in the water unless someone had the sense to come to me."

Last week, Stomp The Yard actor Columbus Short revealed that he had been approached about starring in the Shane Black-penned Lethal Weapon 5.

not happening

Energizer

Seems to be dead in the water. sadly.

Bloody love the Lethal Weapon series.

If they get gibson onboard eventually, i hope the religous stuff stays clear.

ziedth

Thats a real pity, Cause I heard that shane blacks script was just deadly. Apparently he wrote it in his spare time with no studio interference, I hated how the last two made where watered down for "family" entertainment for want of a better word.

Ah well TBF it could have also gone the way of INDY IV,

jackdaw

Jaysus !!!

The 4th was bad enough .. pure crap .. this is gonna be cringeworthy ..

worse then INDY 4 ...
or AVP2 ... well maybe not that bad...

JP Liz V1

Mel is to direct

speedboatchase

Anyone who has seen Dragged Across Conctete would know that Mel can (just about) still play an unhinged cop, but Danny Glover is 75. He at least has to be retired?

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118171903#Comment_118171903

the last film I seen danny in was Shooter in 2007 and he looked past it then. Not sure if he was having dental problems or what but his speech was really unclear.

speedboatchase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118171929#Comment_118171929

I watched him in Witness the other night (1985) and he looked about 50.

Atlantic Dawn

It will probably be so bad it will be good, I will certainly go see it 😁

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118171937#Comment_118171937

he has always played older than he is. In Lethal Weapon he was 42 and he was already "too old for this ****"

Sexual Chocolate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118171949#Comment_118171949

The first scene with him they celebrate his 50th in the bath 😂

~Rebel~

I'd guess Glover will be in there as more of a sideline character. Would imagine it'll see Gibson being the old head, with a younger partner coming in.

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118171937#Comment_118171937

I saw him in Sorry To Bother You (from a couple of years ago) and he didn't actually look (or sound) too bad for 75.

But yeah, can't see him being a main player unless they're going for a more thoughtful, slower paced Lethal Weapon..........

pixelburp

I'd wonder did Glover feel his career got a little stalled by the fact he kept playing older than he was - something of a reverse of what usually happens in casting (see every 20 something to play a teenager).

As to a 5th film? The dying wish is all well and good, but it's whether Gibson would want to direct - and whether any studio would touch him. He still works, popping up in B Movies, often as a bad guy, but his days of working in the Big Leagues seem shot. The franchise is a nostalgic brand - can't see a studio risking Gibson.

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118173068#Comment_118173068

Well he directed Hacksaw Ridge which was acclaimed and won awards, he was also nominated for best director at the Oscars for it, so I think the risk to studios is definitely lessened in recent years.

At the end of the day, it's the art* that matters.

*Sorry, I misspelled money.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118173080#Comment_118173080

Honestly I can't recall then timeline of Gibson's fall from grace. Suppose we can't know how inside the tent views Gibson, whether there's any thawing of attitudes that would result in chequebooks opening. My main scepticism centres more around the fact Lethal Weapon is a valuable IP, and more chance a studio would insist on some no-name helming a PG13 reboot, as seen everywhere else (and indeed the TV series at that).

B.A._Baracus

Mental this has been kicked about with since 2008.

TheIrishGrover

It will be interesting to see how this goes down (If it actually happens at all). God, it's been so long since these started.... and Murtaugh's STILL too old for this sh*t.

But will be interesting to see if there is an appetite for this in the 2020s. When these started (in 1987!!!) the cop buddy drama/comedy was all the rage. From the earlier "48 Hours" and "Beverly Hills Cop" to every later variation:

• "It's Lethal Weapon but.... with a Russian" (Read Heat)
• "It's Lethal Weapon but.... with a dog" (Turner and Hooch)
• "It's Lethal Weapon but.... with an alien" (Alien Nation)
• "It's Lethal Weapon but.... with Snake Pliskin and Rambo" (Tango and Cash)

They have been parodied almost as long as they have being making them (Loaded Weapon Part 1 came out in 1993) and, let's face it, (Rightly or wrongly) how appealing is a film about "A cop who follows his own type of justice ©" these days?

I mean, I could be wrong. Maybe there is an appetite for something other than Marvel/Superhero movies. It would be relatively "cheap" in that we are not talking 150-200M dollars. But it would be a difficult sell these days: Do you do a "Lethal Weapon: The Next Generation"? Do you do a parody like "21 Jump Street"? Do you do a straight up continuation? Riggs and Murtaugh shooting up the place and having the auld banter. Do you do a revisionist version like "Unforgiven"?

I say:

Agent Coulson

So it's going to be a made for TV movie that's going to be on HBO Max.

How much money is going to be wasted making content for all these streaming platforms.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118173782#Comment_118173782

Estimated 720 million for Lord of The Rings TV series on Amazon....... Almost Three Quarters Of A BILLION!!! For a TV series!

pixelburp

Given they already tried a Lethal Weapon TV series, and the actors are definitely too old - I'd wonder if they'll just attempt a "next generation" approach. The son of Riggs and the daughter of Murtagh grew up, became cops and - coincidence! - have to partner up to solve (shoot at) crime.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118173912#Comment_118173912

"Each adventure crazier than the last...."

speedboatchase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118173782#Comment_118173782

It's the other way around. We're heading to a point where every movie studio is a streamer and their futures are 'made for TV' everything. The only goal is to make you unsubscribe (even temporarily) from their rivals' streaming site for their new, exclusive show. That requires lots and lots and lots of harvestable IP. So the answer is 'shitloads of money'.

silverharp

buddy cop show is a hard no from me.

Homelander

The Lethal Weapon TV show was surprisingly good. I expected nothing, almost wanted to not like it, and ended up being a big fan. Even if the writing wasn't spectacular the chemistry between Riggs and Murtagh was genuinely solid.

Sean William Scott wasn't half bad but S3 suffered without Clayne Crawford.

Decuc500

I can't see a new Lethal Weapon film being anything like the originals.

Back in the day these films, and similar action films from the likes of Walter Hill and John McTiernan etc, were aimed at an adult audience. The violence and more irreverent attitudes towards race and sex would be 'problematic' in todays more sensitive times.

Mass market entertainments now are aimed at younger audiences to make as much money as possible. This has resulted in watered down rubbish like superhero movies and Ryan Reynolds.

In this respect a new Lethal Weapon would be utterly pointless.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177969#Comment_118177969

And that's the thing.

It would be a hard sell these days, There is still a place for a decent buddy cop movie. But it would be very difficult to balance humour and drama these days.

And before anyone jumps on the "woke" bandwagon, I am far too old to be a "SJW". I grew up watching these movies in the 80s and 90s. But they have had their time and much would simply not be acceptable today. And rightly so. I'm not talking about proportional representation or analyzing gender pronouns. But, these days, you really have to ask if there is there a place for "shoot-first-ask-question-later" buddy cop movies? It's not like more fantastical fare like superhero movies. Or even the comic-book OTT of The Expendables movies. Those are very much fantasy movies. Part of the buddy cop movie formula was the street-level "realism" of these movies (Quotations VERY much needed there :) ) These are not stories about fighting aliens or overthrowing cartoonish Central American dictators. These are, in general, lower-level grass-roots situations.

An on-form Shane Black could wright one. But it's a tough ask

pixelburp

You could probably do a buddy-cop show these days, insofar as it would be much easier to craft a self-contained, focused story for a 10 episode season on Netflix than the rambling, commercial focused 22-24 episode seasons of yore. Even the best concepts in the world have struggled to maintain a pace across that marathon-length previously required of TV shows.

But Lethal Weapon is something of a property that depends on us dropping in, going on an adventure, then leaving when the dust settles. Much harder to keep that lightning sustained across many episodes (Even if it would be easier across a handful of episodes, as said).

And yeah, while we in Ireland might scoff and snark - the "loose cannon" cops who play by their own rules would be a tough sell in 2020+ America. Lots of talk of "copaganda" these days when it comes to portraying cops on American TV. Any adaptation would have to tread carefully.

silverharp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206165#Comment_118206165

films like 48 hrs/Lethal Weapon etc. were great and I would rewatch them , I just dont want to watch any new ones especially in the cinema , plenty of time for the next Bosch or a Mare of Easttown but again as a show not a cinema film

Agent Coulson

Murtaugh's granddaughter and Rigg's son would be both be 24 now so they could go with a passing of the torch movie where both are now cops and partners.

BruteStock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206165#Comment_118206165

A hard sell ? Not acceptable in today world? Bad Boys 4 Life made almost half a billion at the box office. Buddy cop movies of the 80's and 90's projected positive messaging to the audience, particularly involving race relations. Those type of movies are needed now more than ever

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/03/06/bad-boys-for-life-box-office-will-smith-martin-lawrence-one-of-biggest-r-rated-action-movies-ever/

JP Liz V1

Mel Gibson directing with the script by Richard Wenk and the late Richard Donner, production to start early 2023