When chatter about Lethal Weapon 5 first surfaced in 2020, fans of the iconic buddy-cop franchise were thrilled. A new adventure for Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), more than two decades after their last outing, promised nostalgia and one last hurrah for one of Hollywood’s most bankable action duos. Yet five years later, the project remains stuck in neutral—despite its lucrative legacy and a script Mel Gibson swears is “the best of all of them”. That disconnect between the passion of its stars and the hesitation of the studio has placed Lethal Weapon 5 in a familiar Hollywood cul-de-sac: development hell.
Lethal Weapon 5
The Buddy Cop OG
First released in 1987, Lethal Weapon wasn’t just another cop thriller. It redefined the buddy-cop genre. Pairing Mel Gibson’s unhinged, grief-stricken Martin Riggs with Danny Glover’s family-man veteran Roger Murtaugh, the film blended explosive action with heartfelt character work. Shane Black’s script and Richard Donner’s direction struck lightning in a bottle.
Audiences ate it up. The original grossed around $120 million worldwide, strong numbers for the late ’80s. Lethal Weapon 2 doubled down, earning $227 million and adding Joe Pesci’s fast-talking Leo Getz to the mix. Lethal Weapon 3 pushed the franchise further into comedy while still raking in over $320 million globally, and Lethal Weapon 4 closed out in 1998 with Chris Rock joining the ensemble and a still-impressive $285 million haul.
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Critics largely praised the first two films, cooled on the third, and were divided on the fourth – but audiences never let go of Riggs and Murtaugh. The duo’s chemistry became the gold standard for mismatched partners. The franchise’s nearly $1 billion cumulative gross cements it as one of Warner Bros’ most successful action brands.
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Development for Lethal Weapon 5
With such success, a fifth film had been on the table for years, but progress turned serious only in the late 2010s when Richard Donner, the legendary director of all four movies, began shaping a swan-song installment. Tragically, Donner passed away in 2021 at the age of 91, leaving the project rudderless.
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Lethal Weapon 5
His absence can’t be overstated. Donner was the glue of the franchise, the steady hand guiding the franchise since its inception. Without him, Lethal Weapon 5 once again languished in limbo.
Enter Mel Gibson.
In interviews, Gibson has said Donner asked him to carry the torch if anything happened. True to that promise, Gibson stepped in not only to star but also to direct the sequel. “I sat down with a writer and we did two or three drafts of screenplays, and it came out pretty good,” Gibson revealed. “In fact, I think it’s the best of all of them. It’s a lot of fun and I got really emotional.”
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Danny Glover, meanwhile, has voiced a quieter but still enthusiastic endorsement. He’s acknowledged reading a version of the script and called it “extraordinary,” citing its resonance with contemporary political and social issues. “I can only tell you, if it does happen, there’s something extraordinary about the story,” Glover told the press back in 2020.
For Glover, now 78, the window is closing. He famously quipped, “I’m too old for this” throughout the series, a line that has become a meta-joke as he weighs reprising the role nearly four decades after the original. Still, his willingness signals that if the studio green-lights it, Murtaugh will be there. Time, however, is the enemy. Gibson, now 69, is also juggling another demanding project: directing The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, the long-gestating sequel to his 2004 biblical epic. With production prep already underway, his calendar is tight.
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Lethal Weapon 5
Glover’s age and Gibson’s commitments make the delays increasingly risky. The longer the studio waits, the harder it will be to pull off a physically demanding action film led by two septuagenarians. Nostalgia can only stretch so far – audiences want to see Riggs and Murtaugh in action, not sidelined.
So why the holdup? Gibson himself admits he’s puzzled.
“For some reason, the studios are having a lot of problems,” he said earlier this year. “I don’t know what the deal is, but it is a really good screenplay.” That kind of confidence is rare. Gibson has directed Oscar-winning epics (Braveheart), controversial passion projects (The Passion of the Christ), and gritty wartime dramas (Hacksaw Ridge). His track record suggests he could shepherd a heartfelt, action-packed final act for Riggs and Murtaugh. Yet Warner Bros. hasn’t pulled the trigger.
Lethal Weapon 5
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Warner Bros, now under the Discovery merger, has been re-evaluating its legacy properties. Between shifting corporate leadership, financial pressures, and the challenges of marketing an R-rated action film starring actors in their late 60s and 70s, it’s possible the studio is hesitant to commit the necessary budget. Yet given the recent success of “legacy sequels” like Top Gun: Maverick, the appetite for nostalgic action is proven. If ever there was a time, it’s now.
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Possible Plot
If the script is as strong as Gibson claims, what might it look like? The obvious play is a “legacy sequel” that acknowledges the passage of time. Riggs and Murtaugh facing retirement – or mortality itself – could provide weighty stakes. Their bond has always been the franchise’s emotional core; exploring what that bond means as life winds down would give the film resonance beyond car chases and shootouts.
There’s also room to tackle contemporary issues. Glover has hinted at themes tied to today’s political and economic turmoil. A story set against corruption, privatized policing, or global crime syndicates could ground the action while feeling urgent. And for fans, a snowy New York or a globe-trotting mission would shake up the sun-drenched Los Angeles formula. Whatever the details, the film would need to deliver the franchise’s signature balance: gritty action, gallows humor, and the unshakable friendship at its core.
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Lethal Weapon 5
The Last Ride – or No Ride at All
Nearly 40 years after Lethal Weapon first exploded into theaters, the question remains: will Riggs and Murtaugh get their curtain call? The ingredients are there: a strong script, committed stars, and a fanbase ready for one last round. What’s missing is the studio’s green light.
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If Lethal Weapon 5 happens, it won’t just be another action movie. It would be a tribute to Richard Donner’s legacy, to the buddy-cop genre he helped define, and to two characters who became more like family than colleagues. But if it doesn’t? Then perhaps the series’s most famous line will stand as its epitaph: they really were too old for this.
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Sources:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/mel-gibson-casts-doubt-lethal-034117393.html
https://screenrant.com/lethal-weapon-5-update-franchise-best-mel-gibson-response/
https://screenrant.com/lethal-weapon-5-movie-explained/
