MovieChat Forums > Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) Discussion > Donner wants to do Lethal 5

Donner wants to do Lethal 5

posted 10 years ago by bozo_500
2 replies | jump to latest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yav53dtSFyA

@16:20 Donner states "Dannys ready to go, Mels ready to go, im ready to go"

and at the end 52:10 Donner asks viewers to write in to WBros and ask for Lethal 5 "enough people ask for it we'll get it done"

[–] bozo_500 10 years ago

saw this IM3 interview with Shane Black recently. wonder if this is the script Donner was referring to ?

Lethal Weapon 5 was on your radar as a directorial project at one point, wasn't it?
Black: Yeah it was. There were two films - Lethal Weapon 5, which was actively going at one point and The Cold Warrior, both of which were to star Mel Gibson. I guess it was not too long ago that I was writing The Cold Warrior, I was meeting with Mel every afternoon and he was dating this girl named Oksana and then all of a sudden things blew up. That went south, so two movies that potentially were available didn't happen.

Feige: Did you write a draft of Lethal Weapon 5?

Black: I wrote a 70-page treatment with every single beat and dialogue. It was in New York in the worst blizzard in living history. Mel Gibson would have to go to a kibbutz for three years to be allowed back into Hollywood. Robert did a bunch of drugs and slept with dubious people, he didn't insult racial groups. You don't come back from that.

Feige: It hadn't occurred to me until you mentioned Lethal Weapon 5, but there is a fun Riggs/Murtaugh Tony/Rhodey element to this.
http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1671

I like the idea of LW in a blizzard ravaged NYC (first time for LW).. for a change Riggs could be like McClane in DH1/2 going it alone (Die Hard was supposed to be a one man thing yet 3/4/5 he teamed up LW style so a Riggs/Gibson only LW would do the reverse of DH and at least be abit different in focusing on the 'lethal weapon') Danny Glover could be like the Al character in DH1 or even a cameo.

i hope WB choose to do LW5 with SBlack writing/Donner directing instead of the rumoured reboot (prob with Riggs having done his time in Iraq instead of Nam like The A Team - and like that probably showing him there for the opening 20 mins in a Martin Riggs Begins superhero origin type way)

[–] vyperman7 10 years ago

I thought I remembered reading somewhere that both DG and MG weren't interested in doing another LW movie. Also, I'll be the first to say that the characters and franchise held up really well over four movies spanning 11 years. But it's been 16 years since the last LW movie and a fifth would be overkill IMO.