Mel Gibson, 68, is determined to prove that he is not too old for this…stuff as the actor offers an update on the development of the long-awaited action movie sequel,Lethal Weapon 5. Speaking withComicbook.com, Gibson revealed that, not only does he plan to both direct and star in theLethal Weaponsequel, he plans to do it at the same as developing and bringing to screens his biblical follow-upThe Passion of the Christ: Resurrection. However, both projects present their own set of unique problems, withPassion of the Christhaving to somehow tackle the age of its leading man, Jim Caviezel, whileLethal Weaponcould struggle to get the greenlight as Gibson does not own the rights.
So, how does Gibson plan to tackle these issues? And which movie will happen first? Well, at the moment, he’s not sure. But it certainly sounds like he’s set ongetting both movies made.
“I don’t know, and that’s that’s the the the funny thing. I mean, there’s various obstacles to getting any film up on its feet, and not just budgetary, but there’s like, there’s 1,000,001 reason why something goes and why it doesn’t. So it’s really kind of a crapshoot at this point what goes first and which came first, whether it’s the chicken or the egg.”
Released back in 1987,Lethal Weaponintroduced audiences to theiconic pair of mismatched LAPD detectives, Martin Riggs, a former Green Beret with a death wish, and Roger Murtaugh, a 50-year-old veteran of the force who, even back then, was getting too old for this. Played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, respectively, the duo became instant icons of the genre, with the franchise spawning several sequels. The last audiences saw the duo was inLethal Weapon 4back in 1998, with fans having been eager for their return ever since.
Lethal Weapon 5 Will Be Based on an Idea by Richard Donner
After becoming near-unemployable in Hollywood during the mid-2000s following issues with alcohol and a series of controversies, including an antisemitic tirade, alleged homophobic comments, racist remarks, and a domestic violence-related restraining order filed against him by his former partner Oksana Grigorieva, Mel Gibson has now managed to slither his way back into Hollywood. The Oscar-winning actor and director has now starred in several major projects over the last several years, building towards a return to bothThe Passion of the Christand theLethal Weaponfranchise.
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Earlier this year, Gibson confirmed his plans to direct and star inLethal Weapon 5, revealing that the script is largely based on an idea that original director, the late, great Richard Donner, had been working on before his death in 2021.
“I’m going to direct the fifth film in the Lethal Weapon series. You know, Richard Donner, who did the other four, sadly passed away. He was a good friend, and he kind of tasked me with carrying the flag home on that one. It’ll be an honor for me to do that.
He [Richard Donner] had gotten a fair way into the screenplay, so we’ve used what was there, and we kept poking at it, working at it a little. I’m pretty happy with it , it’s good, I had a lot of fun doing it.”
However, there once was a time when Gibson was “confident” that theLethal Weaponsequel would shoot in early 2023. So we would not advise that you start holding your breath just yet.
Lethal Weapon
