While the traditional waiting period between a movie and its sequel is usually between two to five years, there have been plenty of examples of sequels that have arrived decades after their predecessors. One such sequel that’s had trouble getting off the ground is Lethal Weapon 5, with the last movie having come out 22 years ago.
Back in early 2018, director Richard Donner indicated that it was unlikely Lethal Weapon 5 would ever happen due to problematic negotiations. However, he started to change his tune just a few months later, and fast-forwarding to now, producer Dan Lin has revealed that Lethal Weapon 5 is on track to eventually being made. As he put it:
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.
Dan Lin mentioned Lethal Weapon 5 while taking part in a Hollywood Reporter roundtable discussion with other Hollywood producers. Lin, whose work in 2019 included Aladdin, IT Chapter Two and The Two Popes, already has ties to the Lethal Weapon franchise as an executive producer on the Fox TV show that ended last year, and now he’s part of the process to bring this property back to the big screen.
While the Lethal Weapon TV series opted to reboot Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh for the small screen, Lethal Weapon 5 would obviously bring back Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s versions of the characters. By now, both Riggs and Murtaugh are “too old for this shit,” but Gibson and Glover have been game to take part in another movie for several years now.
Per Richard Donner’s comments from two years ago, Lethal Weapon 5 is called Lethal Finale, and he described it as being a “very dark” and emotional conclusion to the film series. Channing Gibson was working on the script back then, but it’s unclear if his drafts are still being polished or if someone else was brought in to tackle the story. Who knows, maybe original writer Shane Black could be involved somehow. After all, he did pen his own Lethal Weapon 5 treatment long ago.
Assuming Lethal Weapon 5 does move forward, this will be the first movie he’s directed since 2006’s 16 Blocks. Danny Glover’s recently popped up in movies like Sorry to Bother You, The Dead Don’t Die and Jumanji: The Next Level, while Mel Gibson’s acting credits from the last few years include Blood Father, Daddy’s Home 2 and The Professor and the Madman.
We here at CinemaBlend will let you know about any major updates concerning Lethal Weapon 5, but for now, keep track of what’s coming to the silver screen this year with our 2020 release schedule.
