A few months ago, legendary filmmaker Richard Donner tragically passed away. However, before his passing, Donner spent years developing and writing the fifth installment of the Lethal Weapon franchise. Now, as first reported by Variety, Mel Gibson, who appeared in the last 4 films, will step in to helm the upcoming feature. Additionally, Gibson will star in the film, titled Lethal Finale, alongside Danny Glover.
Speaking at a recent event, Gibson confirmed the news, claiming Donner handpicked him as a replacement. “He was developing the screenplay and he got pretty far along with it. And he said to me one day, ‘Listen, kid, if I kick the bucket, you will do it.’ And I said: ‘Shut up,’” Gibson said. “He did indeed pass away, but he did ask me to do it, and, at the time, I didn’t say anything. He said it to his wife and to the studio and the producer. So, I will be directing the fifth one.”
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Lethal Weapon is a buddy cop action-comedy film franchise created by Shane Black. The first film stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey. Since the original feature, stars like Joe Pesci, Chris Rock, and Jet Li have appeared in the films as well. Overall, the four films have grossed over 900 million at the worldwide box office and spawned a spinoff video game and TV series.
Mel Gibson earned the Academy Award for Best Director for 1995’s Braveheart. Additionally, the actor earned the Best Director Oscar for 2017’s Hacksaw Ridge as well. Up next, the Mad Max actor will star in the upcoming John Wick spinoff TV series The Continental.
What do you think of this news? Is Gibson the best choice to helm Lethal Weapon 5? Are you excited to see him and Danny Glove share a screen again? Let us know in the comments below!
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