Mel Gibson is officially taking over as director for Lethal Weapon 5. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.
Mel Gibson will don two hats for Lethal Weapon 5, starring again as detective Martin Riggs and directing the film, which will be the first installment in the franchise not directed by Richard Donner, who died in July.
Donner — known for directing films like The Omen and The Goonies — was working on the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 5 at the time of his death. Donner, who was 91 when he died, previously voiced a desire for Gibson to take over in case he did not live long enough to see the project through.
“He was developing the screenplay and he got pretty far along with it,” Gibson said at an event in London over the weekend. “And he said to me one day, ‘Listen kid, if I kick the bucket you will do it.’ And I said: ‘Shut up.’
Gibson will reprise his role as Riggs, but it has yet to be announced whether Danny Glover — who starred alongside Gibson in all four previous Lethal Weapon movies — will return as Roger Murtaugh: the other half of the buddy-cop duo.
While Gibson didn’t direct any of the previous Lethal Weapon movies, he’s proven he can pull off directing and starring in the same film. Gibson starred in and directed the 1995 period piece Braveheart, which won him the Oscar for best director. More recently, he directed 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge, which garnered him another Oscar nomination for directing.
No matter who’s behind the camera, if Riggs and Murtaugh both return to deliver one-liners and spray bullets, Lethal Weapon 5 is sure to be a hit for fans of the iconic 1980s action comedies. One hopes that 75-year-old Glover will mutter “I’m too old for this shit” on camera and not when he’s approached about reprising his role in the franchise.
Read Next: Gone but Not Forgotten: Here Are 5 of Richard Donner’s Most Iconic Films
Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.
BRCC and Bad Moon Print Press team up for an exclusive, limited-edition T-shirt design!
BRCC partners with Team Room Design for an exclusive T-shirt release!
Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.
Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.
Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.
Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.
Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.
A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.
