It’s been almost a year since we last heard any real rumors about a possible Lethal Weapon 5 movie. Last August we heard reports that Mel Gibson was ready to sign on to do the film… but that never actually happened (which is too bad). Now there are more whispers about it. The whispers are all obviously contingent on Mel Gibson agreeing to do it… apparently the only thing that is set in stone is that if Gibson won’t do it… then it won’t get done.
Today, our friends over at Cinema Blend give us this:
Warner Brothers are starting to toss around the idea of rekindling Riggs and Murtaugh for one more adventure. Of course, this isn’t the first time the idea has come up, and Mel Gibson is typically the killer for the concept. Apparently his career has gotten too big to slap himself in the face and make three stooges noises (refraining from any comments about who he’s busy slapping instead). Of course, with Mel really needing to win back the public eye again, could he be interested this time around?
The less discriminating of the two, Danny Glover, is reportedly not coming back until he’s seen a script, which director Richard Donner claims to have, or at least some semblance of something like a script. Donner doesn’t appear concerned about Glover wanting to see a script and states the whole thing hinges on Mel. If he’s in, there’s a Lethal Weapon 5.
Ok, now whenever I talk about being interested in a Lethal Weapon 5 movie, some of my friends ask me “Why? The story was closed off well in number 4”. And that is VERY true. However, a franchise like Lethal Weapon was never about the story (at least not to me). For me, the richness of Lethal Weapon has always been about the CHARACTERS.
Great characters are like good friends. You just don’t get tired of being around them. Storylines get played out, plot ideas go thin… but good characters I can re-visit a hundred times. Riggs and Murtaugh are just the two best buddy cop characters I think I’ve ever seen in movies. They have so much great chemistry, wit and charm, that you just can’t help but smile being “with them”. For that reason alone, I’m one of those people who would love to see another Lethal Weapon… another visit with those friends.
