Despite previously pouring cold water on the idea, director Richard Donner has hinted that Lethal Finale aka Lethal Weapon 5 might be back on the cards.
We last heard about the project in late 2017, when it was reported it’d reunite Donner, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover for an admittedly rather wrinkly action sequel. At the time, Donner explained that plans had foundered due to difficult negotiations with Warner Bros. Things seem to have changed since then, however, as in an appearance on Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast, they listed Donner’s filmography. When they mentioned Lethal Weapons 1-4, he shouted, “And 5 coming up!”
This is far from a cast-iron confirmation, of course, but it does suggest that the studio logjam must have shifted a bit. If the project really were to go ahead, it’d be a rather strange production. Donner is 88-years-old, Mel Gibson is still (deservedly) suffering from the consequences of his drunken anti-semitic and misogynist rantings and Danny Glover is…actually, there’s nothing wrong with Danny Glover. He has a very healthy career in supporting roles and is busy with political activism.
Interestingly, there was a fifth Lethal Weapon that almost got off the ground in the mid-2000s. Shane Black wrote a script that featured Riggs and Murtaugh battling mercenaries during a New York snowstorm, but Mel Gibson wouldn’t sign on and the studio eventually lost interest. Now though, everyone sounds very excited with the current script by Channing Gibson (no relation), which Donner has described as “very dark.”
While the novelty of elderly actors appearing in long-delayed action sequels has lessened a bit after The Expendables series, I’d be at minimum interested in Lethal Weapon 5, especially if Richard Donner returns from retirement to direct it. How about you, though? Do you think a fifth outing is a good idea? Take to the comments section and let us know!