Mel Gibson Confirms Long-Awaited Sequel Is In The Works
It's about time!
Will we ever really see another Lethal Weapon? It seems like finally, the answer is “yes.” The controversial actor and director has finally confirmed that Lethal Weapon 5 is on the way.
According to WeGotThisCovered, reps from the site were present at an event in which Mel Gibson confirmed that Lethal Weapon 5 is in “active development.” There is a script in the works, and Gibson said he’s been in regular contact with Danny Glover. WGTC reports Gibson promises the movie will “tackle a couple of hard issues.” While he apparently didn’t get any more specific than that, considering the nature of the buddy cop film series, it wouldn’t be shocking if police brutality and race aren’t the “hard issues” referenced.
The Plan For Lethal Weapon 5
Richard Donner — who directed all four of the already released Lethal Weapon films — had already been working on Lethal Weapon 5 when he passed away last July, though reportedly when it was clear he might not survive to make the film, Donner asked Mel Gibson to direct instead. There were some early reports suggesting Gibson would indeed direct Lethal Weapon 5 but would not star in the film. While there haven’t been any more details released about the sequel, it seems unimaginable to have a Lethal Weapon 5 without Martin Riggs.
How Mel Gibson Ended Up Here
Mel Gibson has been in a lot of trouble over the years. It started way back in 1991 when he was accused of being homophobic in a Spanish newspaper. Gibson refused to apologize and defended his comments. For awhile, the world moved on. Gibson even started doing work for GLAAD, hosting seminars for aspiring LGBTQ filmmakers in the late-90s. For awhile, Mel Gibson was one of the most beloved figures in Hollywood.
It all went wrong again in 2006 when Gibson was arrested on a DUI charge. The DUI is bad enough, but Gibson reportedly flew into a crazy, angry tirade when the officer wouldn’t let him drive. He then went a step further and made the following anti-semitic comment on tape: “F***ing Jews… the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?” The arrest hit the media and Mel Gibson was, basically, blackballed in Hollywood from then on.
This time Gibson tried to apologize, but it seemed to have no effect. His time making big Hollywood blockbusters seemed to be over. Maybe there would have been a comeback of some kind, if he hadn’t had yet another incident.
His next spot of trouble happened in 2010 when a recorded phone call between Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva was leaked to the media. In that call Gibson made racist slurs against African Americans. Specifically he said the following shocking sentence in which he suggested that Oksana would get “raped by a pack of n****rs”. Afterward Gibson was investigated for domestic violence, and ended up being barred from seeing his daughter with Oksana. Mel eventually pled no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge.
In recent years Gibson has continued to anger the world of Hollywood. Suspected of being a Republican for years, Mel Gibson was eventually caught on camera saluting Donald Trump. Or at least it looks a lot like him. Watch it below and decide for yourself…
While that video probably made Trump’s MAGA crowd happy, the other side was outraged, fueling more anger and fire against the once loved actor.
Mel Gibson’s Comeback
Things have turned around for Mel Gibson in recent years. He’s back to becoming a beloved Hollywood figure. He hasn’t toplined a big blockbuster, but he’s made a few well-received smaller films and had supporting roles in big movies like Daddy’s Home 2. Because of his resurgence, some have begun to argue that he never really got the punishment they feel he deserves.
In December Joshua Malina of West Wing fame wrote an op-ed for the Atlantic in which, among other things, he argued the status of the career of Mel Gibson is proof that so-called “cancel culture” doesn’t exist and this continues to be one of the most accurate things ever written by a celebrity. One of the biggest and most divisive entertainment news sagas of the past few years is the ongoing public battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard; meanwhile Gibson once pled “No Contest” to domestic battery charges stemming from his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, and yet his career continues to flourish. In an environment that supposedly does not tolerate racism, Gibson has literally been recorded uttering derogatory slurs about Black and Jewish people. But judging by the continuing announcements of the actor landing new roles — including the lead of the upcoming John Wick prequel series The Continental — for some reason Mad Max gets a pass.
In the public sphere Mel has had a few videos go viral, in which he ends up seeming like a kind, and loveable figure. In particular this video blew up and gave people a good impression…
Some of his more recently critically hailed work was Gibson’s performance in the biographical drama Father Stu alongside Mark Wahlberg. And while the film itself wasn’t exactly a critical darling, one of the most oft-cited complaints among reviewers for the Frank Grillo-led time-loop Hulu original Boss Level was that there wasn’t enough of Mel Gibson’s villain in it.
What Happened To The Lethal Weapon Franchise
The first Lethal Weapon hit theaters in 1987 with Mel Gibson starring as the emotionally unstable Martin Riggs and Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh, who would always be just a few heartbeats away from retirement. The film was a hit and — along with his Mad Max films — helped establish Mel Gibson as a bankable star in action thrillers. The film series that followed would attract more and more stars over the years such as Joe Pesci, Chris Rock, and Jet Li — the latter of whom played the villain in the most recent film, 1998’s Lethal Weapon 4.
Lethal Weapon 4 didn’t exactly burn up the box office and critics were not exactly fans. Given it’s semi-failure, the franchise seemed dead and everyone moved on. Except now, maybe it’s back.
