Will Lethal Weapon 5, in the works for many years, finally see the light of day? This is in any case what claims Mel Gibson, legendary interpreter of Martin Riggs.
At 65, is Mel Gibson too old for this bullshit? Obviously no! After the death of director Richard Donner last July, we thought the project was definitely put away in a drawer. Nay! The actor and filmmaker, legendary Martin Riggs in the 4 parts of L’Arme Fatale, will take the reins of the 5th film.
To pay tribute to Richard Donner, Mel Gibson has announced that he will be directing Lethal Weapon 5. The actor revealed the information at an event in London.
“Mel Gibson has just confirmed that there will indeed be a 5th installment of Lethal Weapon and that he will make it”, shared comedian Mariano Cabrera on Twitter.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph published on December 29, 2020, Richard Donner announced the start of the 5th iteration of the adventures of Riggs and Murthaugh. These legendary super-cops were portrayed by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in four films, from 1987 to 1998.
Unfortunately, the filmmaker died at 91 before he could follow through on his idea. During this interview, Richard Donner gave some clues about Lethal Weapon 5:
“This will be the final chapter”, he had specified. “It is a duty and a privilege to carry out this project. It is very exciting, indeed! But it will be the last, I promise you.” The filmmaker was however relatively pessimistic in February 2018, interviewed by Maltin on Movies:
“The movie has to be called Lethal Finale. It’s very dark. We were all set to jump in and now Warner Bros. is doing their old tricks on us. Not really Warner Bros, the guy who runs the studio is great, but there are those people in the legal department who negotiate in the most counterproductive way possible.
We should send them to a studio and have them work with the producers, directors and actors, so that they learn how to make a film, and then negotiate. But it’s really tricky. I wanted to conclude on an emotional note, and I don’t think it will be possible “, he lamented at the time.
Will Mel Gibson continue on the same path as Donner? Answer in a while, when we know a little more about the direction that this final episode will take. The return of Riggs and Murtaugh, good or bad? We’ll let you debate it. In the meantime, you can always fall back on the TV series that rebooted the saga.
Michel & Michel dissect the blunders of L’Arme Fatale 3 & 4
