Mel Gibson Returning to 'Lethal Weapon' Franchise as Both Actor and Director

Mel Gibson plans to make Lethal Weapon 5, even after the death of franchise director Richard Donner. The controversial Gibson wants to direct the film as well, claiming that one of Donner's wishes before he died was for Gibson to play Martin Riggs once again. It's not clear if Danny Glover will be returning, or if he has finally gotten too old for this s—.

Gibson, 65, confirmed the project was in the works himself during an event in London over the weekend, reports The Sun. "The man who directed all the Lethal films, Richard Donner, he was a big guy," Gibson said. "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.' But he did indeed pass away. But he did ask me to do it and at the time I didn't say anything."

Donner told his wife, Lauren Shuler Donner, as well as producers and the studio he wanted to make a fifth film, Gibson said in London. "So I will be directing the fifth one," the actor added. An insider for The Sun said it was "hoped" that Glover, 75, would return as Roger Murtaugh.

Lethal Weapon 5 was in development on and off again for years before Donner died in July at 91. The latest draft was written by Richard Wenk, who worked on both of Denzel Washington's The Equalizer movies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson taking over as director has been "in the works for months" and was blessed by Donner's widow. She will co-produce the film with Gibson and Rideback's Dan Lin. The Donners' Company's Derek Hoffman and Rideback's Jonathan Eirich will executive produce.

Donner directed all four Lethal Weapon movies, which were released between 1987 and 1998. In each movie, Gibson starred as the unpredictable Martin Riggs and Glover played the by-the-book Roger Murtaugh. The first film established the Australian Gibson as a major Hollywood star and also established writer Shane Black's career. Black wrote the first film and co-wrote the second. All of the movies were released by Warner Bros., which also produced a short-lived TV series that aired on Fox from 2016 to 2019.

Although Gibson remains one of the most controversial people in Hollywood, he continues to get new offers, making it unclear when Lethal Weapon 5 could be filmed. Earlier this month, he was cast in Boys of Summer, a fantasy adventure movie in which he plays a detective who helps a young boy on a supernatural hunt. He will also star in The Continental, a John Wick prequel series that will air on Starz.