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Shane Black Has Written Lethal Weapon 5. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Talks?

Posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson

UPDATE: The same industry website has clarified the original story, saying…

**We are now hearing that Shane Black may have only handed in a detailed treatment to Joel Silver and that they are taking two old scripts and mashing them together to make LETHAL WEAPON 5… Also hearing that Silver is after Columbus Short for a role**

Right now, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are rolling around in separate beds half-asleep mumbling, “We’re too old for this shit.” Let’s hope their co-stars Chris Rock, Joe Pesci and Jet Li are mumbling the exact same sentence tomorrow when they’re fully awake. It’s being reported by TrackingB that legendary screenwriter, Shane Black, has written a script for Lethal Weapon 5 and handed it over to his friend, the franchise’s producer Joel Silver. Moreover, the guys pictured above are said to be interested in reprising their roles as LAPD badges Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. Coming Soon posted the following logline…

This time, homicidal Riggs (Mel Gibson) is about to retire, but pulls Murtaugh (Danny Glover) out of retirement to solve one final case, before they both officially head off into the sunset.

No further info was made available. Some readers will take issue with the adjective “legendary” used above but seeing that Black’s influence on the action genre, which dates back to 1987’s Lethal Weapon, remains obvious with this weekend’s Pineapple Express, why? From my standpoint, Seth Rogen’s pot vehicle would have been the action-comedy masterpiece some feel it is (CHUD says Oscar-bait no less!?) with Black’s involvement. For example: imagine memorable, superior one-liners rather than Axl Rose lyrics yelled mid-brawl in 2008. A bloodied Danny McBride meets The Last Boy Scout? Now, that’s a neverending breakfast conversation I’d pay to see three times.

The fourth Lethal Weapon film was released 10 years ago and managed to gross $128 million domestically. One could forsee Richard Donner returning as the director, since he helmed the prior four pictures and has a film on the burner entitled Sam and George with Gibson.

Discuss: Would you see a fifth Lethal Weapon with the original team? Either way, do you expect Shane Black’s involvement to make for a better sequel than Live Free or Die Hard, or Beverly Hills Cop: Ratner Vision?

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  • jimbo stewart
    YES YES YES!

    LW 4 was a stain on a great series.

    Black's involvement would save all!
  • Super A.J.
    Why not see two classic character back on screen? Can't be any worse than Crystal Skull right?....

    but in all seriousness, it could be fun!
  • Zach
    This would be awesome. Chris Rock and Joe Pesci need to return though (and good luck with the latter)
  • M&Co
    Aw man, why can't Black write and direct an original followup to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Did it really bomb that badly?
  • Ian
    Lethal Weapon, Rambo, Rocky, Die Hard, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones etc
    When an actor hasn't had a hit for years, he insists on remaking his old favourites in the hope of reviving his sagging career. What was once fresh and exciting is now tired and worn out. Give us a break guys!
  • nick
    Please one more time!!!!
  • mr62
    I love cop movie, especially the Lethal Weapon series. However, I think this sequel comes about 5 years too late :(

    I'll still go see it and probably enjoy it as long as they don't PG-13 it like they did with Live Free or Die Hard
  • David Viramontes
    Shane Black is the shit... Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Long Kiss Goodnight and my two all-time favorites: The Monster Squad and The Last Boy Scout. With Mr. Black writing a "new" Lethal Weapon flick... that would be fucking awesome. I'm game for that all the way.
  • Lethal Weapon 5? I'd see it.
  • Palmer
    Does it involved exploding toilets?
  • gah
    I love Shane Black, but if it's in continuity with the las two, Pass.
  • John
    I guess you can never be too old for this shit...
  • Adam
    Oh hell yeah! Sign me up for day one! Especially with Shane Black back behind the story. We're back we're bad, you're black I'm mad! The return of chaos and mayhem!
  • Captain Awesome
    I guess Riggs isn't too old for this shit

    ;)
  • Project Thunder
    I'd love to see another LW movie.
  • Project Thunder
    Hell yeah
  • 790
    The last film was so bad , no I don't want a sequel.
  • ddy_blue
    i would see it!

    no problem with them all, just writte a good story and with u!
  • gocitizen
    my first thought is no, no way, but if they could somehow put together a film without the contrived humor of the sequels, it might actually have potential. Those characters in a serious crime drama might make for a decent film.

    On second thought, no. There is no way they can make LW fresh enough to work.
  • A. J.
    They need to start filming NOW! I'd sit through four more Lethal Weapons.
  • Rick
    I would absolutely see it. What a great series. Mel and Danny make a great team; both action-wise and comedic.

    That said, I could do without the "cameo" co-stars, other than Pesci. Pesci belongs, the others are just garnish.
  • hcc
    No! No! NO!!!! LW 4 brought the whole thing full circle...remember WHY he Psycho in the first place? The death of his wife. By the end of 4 to he re-marries. Leave it there, the series has closure (for a change).

    I love the movies AS IS... no need to extend it any further.
  • REAL6
    HELL FUCKING YES!!!
  • jared bratt
    bring it on, LW 1 &2, friggin amazing,
    LW 3, good but noticably getting dumber and more comical,
    LW 4 sick action and the duo gets put through battered, brutal hell by the end of it all, taking it back to form in line with the 1st two, also some truly inspired scenes of great comic chemistry betwen all the actors.
    LW 5 BRING THIS BAD BOY ON and lets see a return to form for the classic cop action movie, SHOW WEISMAN HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DONE!
  • Quenfis
    Let the guy collect his 401k in peace! I'm sure I would see it. But, the whole "pulls Murtaugh out of retirement" sounds like a sitcom plot.
  • i love these guys.. great actors
  • dave
    Lethal Weapon 1 blew everyone away, for the same reason the original Die Hard did... namely the bad guys were actual bad guys, not some sick racial stereotype used to sell genocidal war in the real world. Because of this, both films were classic 'hero' tales, where the audience responds to the idea that when extreme evil arrives, extraordinary courage appears within individuals, courage that allows them to win through, save the innocent, and vanquish evil.

    These films thus gathered massive enthusiasm amongst the female part of the audience (something 'macho' war-tales can never do).

    Lethal Weapon 1 and 2 made the US authorities the bad guys (ex-US-mercenaries, and the US/Israeli backed and armed racist apartheid state of South Africa).

    Die Hard 1 and 2 made US corporate greed, and US authorities the bad guys (the robbers of 1 are clearly presented as part of the corporate continuum, and 2 has ex-mercenary butchers from the US atrocity in Grenada).

    Of course, so-called 'liberal' Hollywood is now dead. Spielberg, Bay and Cameron etc., worked to bring a new nazi-propaganda-style pro-military, pro-fascist sensibility to the 'action' movie, completely ruining the genre, and more importantly turning off the female part of the audience, sending the modern action movie back to the ghetto.

    I have no doubt Shane Black has made the psychopathic neo-cons the villains of his new script, figuring that with the coming election of Obama, it may be time for the return of 'moral' good vs evil stories. Sadly, I think this is wishful thinking on his behalf, given that Obama has stated how he intends to be a vastly greater war-monger than Bush.
  • kingdarius
    Every lethal weapon movie was awesome to me so i'd definitely not mid a fifth one
  • I think we need to stop beating the dead 80's horse. After Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers and especially Crystal Skull, I'm happy with my nostolgic memories and don't need any more disappointment.
  • 790
    given that Obama has stated how he intends to be a vastly greater war-monger than Bush.
    WTF!,, Dave are you talking about.


    Here we go again,,,,,,,,
  • Sanchez
    If Black's in, count me in. LW is my all time favourite, often copied never bettered.
    But the new one will have to return to the essence of the first one. Meaning dark as well as funny. I am sure the old Gibson/Glover chemistry will be there.

    By the way Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was the shit also.
  • Mister Joshua
    Shane Black hasn't been involved in the series since Lethal Weapon 2 twenty years ago. 3 and 4 suffered from his absence. I don't know what you could do with Riggs and Murtagh at this late stage. They know each other inside out, so there's not much room for character development. In the last one, Mel really stopped being a Lethal Weapon, so the series seemed pointless really. It's all about money anyway, guys, so don't expect quality.
  • Hey, why not? Gibson can fight the Evil Jewish Conspiracy to Rule the World in "Lethal Weapon 5." The movie will end with Glover getting Gibson committed.
  • Alexander J. Colvin Esq.
    If they kill everyone off ( Renne Russo, Joe Pesci etc) and just get back to the basics of the relationship between the two it could be good. In my opinion it was the addition of all the other cast members the softened the films too much. Kill them all off, have Rigg's avenging his wifes death AGAIN. don't even have them as actual cops anymore. having people come out of retirement has been done to death. The first one was soo good because Rigg's was suicidal. Get rid of Roger's family. Kill off his wife and have his grown up family move away. It's the only way it could work and be any good. just please don't make it an indy 4. as much as i dislike LW3 it was still way better than indy 4.
  • Riggs
    They ended Lethal Weapon 4 in a way you could not argue with. Superb ending. Half of me says, "Please, no! Don't ruin it!" The other half says, "More witty comebacks, recklessness, brilliant storyline, etc... Let's just hope they're not too old for this shit."
  • Virago
    Heck, yeah!! I'd go see "Lethal Weapon 77"!!! Bring it on!
  • Virago
    P.S.

    ....but THIS time I WOULD like to to see a little less of Riggs getting his a$$ kicked....he's an ex-Green Beret for god's sake!!!!!!!!!!! They NEVER forget that "shit"and they're NEVER too old for it, either!
  • Earl
    Fuckin A right I would go see the 5th installment, actions stars of today are xbox360, wii generation pussies!!
  • Sean
    Ian, your an idiot
  • steven
    the lethal weapon series are my favourite all tim cop movies i loved the fourth lethal weapon and cant wait to see the fith come on guy s make it happen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Kyle
    Heck i'd be there to see it if it was the original casting crew.
    Although the flick would be 5 years too late, i still think it would work excellently.
    I loved all 4 of the existing films, and i think a 5th one would tie it off nicely as 4 did leave a few loose end on it, including both Riggs and Murtaugh's retirement plans, How Butters and his Murtaugh's daughter ended up and of course if Rigg's bad run with women is indeed over. ^_^

    Plus i just would love to see a new REAL action flick with the old directors considering the distinct lack of decent ones the last 10 years lol.
    Fingers crossed this is a great sequel, and hopefully an excellent high for them to end the series of films on :D I think it would be pretty hard to top number 4 though ;)
  • Dr. Mark
    BOYCOTT Danny Glover...that piece of shit traitor...maybe he can be cast with Prez Chavez in the life story of Che.
  • João
    if mel gibson and dannny glover come back for LW 5, it will be the best action movie ever!
  • kevin
    i think they sould make a fifth lethal weapon. because i really love the seiris and so do a lot more people. so start filming
  • md_doran
    From my understanding, both actors said, "No!!!" (in unison) like they did in 2 and 3, lol but the director Richard Donner is willing and ready to do it, and to really close the chapter of the whole series, and do it right.
    So now, there ARE talks about a LW5?, oh wow, i'd even woke up and started sayin' "im gettin too old for this shh," and i'm 34, lol, Yes, i think it'll be cool for one more finale to close the franchise, besides, i have grown to love, learn through their wisdom, and survive with the characters through thick and thin.
    So yeah, why not, i can see Leo now going from, "Ok Ok Ok, Whatever Whatever, to doing a Jay-Z moment, brushing the Dirt Off His Shoulders! lol
    Go 4it!
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