Lethal Weapon 5: So Lethal It’s Dead?

I’m not interested in another Lethal Weapon movie unless the hair is even bigger.  

In the LA Times this weekend, Richard Donner, director and producer of the four Lethal Weapon movies, said that the recently chatted about fifth movie is likely dead.

Word was that the project was being fast-tracked, with actor Columbus Short stating that he was in talks to play Danny Glover’s character’s son. Now, though, reports are in that Mel Gibson is passing on the project. 

Donner, who wasn’t included in plans for the project attributes some of the problems, including Gibson’s bow-out, to his being excluded in favor of producer Joel Silver. Here’s what he had to say:

“Mel turned it down. I would like to think that Mel turned it down because I wasn’t involved. Knowing Mel, I would like to think that. Would that be the kind of thing he does? It sure would be.

Joel Silver tried to ace me out of it. He tried to put it together but made sure he didn’t do it until my  contract was up. You know, it’s typical of the man. A guy who wasn’t even around at the beginning when we started on the first one. He came in late.

It’s too bad, actually, because Channing Gibson, who wrote the fourth one, and Mike Riva, a designer on three of them, and myself and Derek [Hoffman, an associate at The Donner Company] had an incredibly strong story for the fifth movie. But we weren’t given the opportunity and I think maybe I could have convinced Mel to do it. But Warners chose to go with Joel Silver.”

However, the LA Times article points out that Donner’s view may not be quite right. The Lethal Weapon 5 script was written on spec by Shane Black, who brought it to Joel Silver. It wasn’t like it was a calculated move to oust Donner’s team (Donner’s party?) from a ready-to-go project. Also, the article notes that Gibson is likely not interested in revisiting that part of his career and might pass on just about any script related to the franchise.

You know, I don’t often find myself agreeing with Mel Gibson, but if the above is true, then he’s right. I think the franchise is old, and reviving it would be awkward. Leave well enough alone. I mean, what kind of glory are we trying to recapture here anyway?