Mel Gibson has confirmed that Lethal Weapon 5 remains active despite ongoing production delays caused by internal studio issues at Warner Bros.
The veteran actor announced that both he and co-star Danny Glover are prepared to reprise their lead roles as detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh for the fifth installment of the action franchise.
Speaking in an interview with media outlet Collider, Gibson explained that the screenplay for the sequel is complete after he collaborated with screenwriter Richard Wenk. The script builds directly on story ideas developed by director Richard Donner prior to his death in 2021.
Donner, who directed all four previous films in the series, had personally requested that Gibson take over directing duties on the fifth movie if Donner was unable to finish it. Gibson confirmed he still intends to step behind the camera and suggested that the new script could end up being the best screenplay in the entire franchise.
Gibson noted that he and Wenk crafted the story by constantly considering how Donner would have approached the material, aiming to recover the distinct tone and character dynamics of the original movies.
Status of the Lethal Weapon characters
The upcoming story takes place nearly three decades after audiences last saw Riggs and Murtaugh together on screen in Lethal Weapon 4. Rather than presenting the duo as aged versions of their former action personas, the sequel focuses on how the passage of time has transformed their lives.
Gibson explained that both characters will be noticeably older in the new film. One of the lead characters has retired from police work entirely, while the other holds a desk job and has gained weight over the years. Gibson did not clarify which detective occupies which situation.
Although the film will feature action sequences and car chases that maintain the energy of earlier entries, Gibson stated that the production will move away from massive explosions. He described the project as a smaller scale film that puts greater emphasis on characters rather than following Hollywood trends of escalating spectacle in sequels.
Studio delays at Warner Bros
Despite the finished screenplay, production has struggled to move forward into active filming. Gibson revealed that distributor Warner Bros became caught in a complicated situation, leaving the project buried among internal studio difficulties.
Gibson expressed confidence that recent corporate changes across Hollywood could help unlock the stalled project. He indicated that production progress could allow the movie to reach screens in roughly a year.
History of the buddy cop franchise
The original Lethal Weapon debuted in 1987 and became a cornerstone of the buddy cop action subgenre, launching a major franchise for Warner Bros. Gibson starred as the unpredictable LAPD detective Martin Riggs opposite Glover as veteran officer Roger Murtaugh.
Donner directed the original film alongside three subsequent sequels released in 1989, 1992, and 1998. The influential filmmaker directed major Hollywood titles including Superman and The Goonies before passing away in July 2021 at the age of 91.
