Mel Gibson still plans to direct Lethal Weapon 5. It’s written, but Gibson admits the film is being held up, and he doesn’t know why.
Mel Gibson has been primarily staying behind the camera of late for his filmmaking, his assorted controversies leaving his leading man status pretty much irreparably damaged. As a director, he’s completed his latest movie – Flight Risk, which is due early next year – and he’s been juggling The Passion Of The Christ 2 as well.
But also, following the passing on director Richard Donner, he’s also announced his intention to direct Lethal Weapon 5, offering another swansong for the characters of Riggs and Murtaugh, as played by Gibson and Danny Glover.
It comes over 25 years after the rushed Lethal Weapon 4, and before he died, Richard Donner had been working on the film. Reportedly, before he passed, he asked Gibson to direct Lethal Weapon 5 instead.
Gibson turned up at the FanX convention in the US over the weekend, and was talking about the movie. He confirmed that Lethal Weapon 5 is now written, but for whatever reason, he can’t get a greenlight for the movie. “It’s interesting”, he told the crowd. “It’s been held up for one reason or another. There’s always issues with these things.”
What’s the issue? Good question, although Gibson’s no longer the world’s biggest movie star, which may not help. Still, he insists that “I think it’s the best one of the whole series. But it just won’t get made for some reason or another. I can’t even explain it.”
You can find more on the conversation here.
The current movie ecosystem has seen, of course, belated sequels such as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley do really rather well, and Top Gun Maverick do exceptionally well. As such, had the path been a little clearer to Lethal Weapon 5, it’s hard to imagine it not getting a greenlight. And who knows? It still might…
