Overview
- Gibson says he and writer Richard Wenk have completed a more character-focused Lethal Weapon 5 screenplay and that he will direct to honor Richard Donner’s wishes.
- He told reporters the script avoids big set-piece spectacle in favor of older, quieter versions of Riggs and Murtaugh, with one character retired and the other in a desk role.
- Gibson blamed delays on corporate-level complications at Warner Bros. and a proposed Paramount acquisition that have tied up rights, financing, and greenlight decisions.
- Danny Glover’s public disclosure of living with Alzheimer’s and the advanced age of original cast members create practical uncertainty about who could appear or how roles would be handled.
- The franchise’s commercial nostalgia value and Gibson’s controversial past, including past racist and antisemitic incidents and a later comeback as a director, shape both industry appetite and public response as the project awaits studio approval.