Mel Gibson confirms that 'Lethal Weapon 5' is still on the table

As Mel Gibson's “Passion of the Christ” sequel continues to be plagued by delays, including numerous rewrites, Gibson's next job could be directing and starring, alongside Danny Glover, in the next episode “Lethal Weapon”.

Yes, Warner Bros is indeed still planning to make another “Lethal Weapon” movie. This week, Gibson was a guest on Steven Oxley's show podcast and the subject of “Lethal Weapon 5” was broached. The actor-director seems pretty convinced that this is happening:

I will be directing the fifth film in the “Lethal Weapon” series. You know, Richard Donner, who directed the other four, sadly passed away and he was a good friend. He kind of tasked me with carrying the flag home on this one, so it will be an honor for me to do that. He had come a long way with the script, so we used what was there and continued to refine it. I'm pretty happy with it […] It's funny, but it's quite serious too. It addresses some difficult issues. I can not wait to be there.

Last December, Daniel Richtman had reported that Jez Butterworth (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Edge of Tomorrow”) had written the final draft of “Lethal Weapon 5” and that the film was scheduled to begin shooting in 2024. As far as I know, Gibson doesn't have everything which is planned for the fall, so perhaps that's when production could begin.

Before Butterworth came to refine Donner's original version, Richard Wenk (“The Equalizer”, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back”) wrote one of the first drafts of the screenplay.

There has been talk of a “Lethal Weapon 5” for a long time. Gibson confirmed in November 2021 that he was going to direct and star in the fifth film, adding that he wanted it to happen as a way to honor the late Richard Donner, who wrote the screenplay and was originally set to direct before his death . in July 2021.

Gibson, who has directed five films in three decades, including “Braveheart” and “Apocalypto,” has already shot and completed his next film, “Flight Risk,” starring Mark Wahlberg, which is scheduled for release in October.