GeraldDespite being 90 years young, Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies) is returning to the camera and helming the fifth Lethal Weapon film.
Starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, Lethal Weapon 5, will see the original cast and crew reunite once again having kickstarted the franchise way back in 1987. While Donner had been at the helm for the entire franchise, its latest release, Lethal Weapon 4, didn’t quite hit the mark. With the film grossing US$285 million at the box office with US$150 million budget isn’t the kind of return of investment Hollywood expects.
In a far-ranging interview with The Telegraph, Donner confirms that Lethal Weapon 5 will indeed be his last outing with the franchise. Given the current climate when it comes to police sentiment especially in the United States, it remains to be seen how the buddy-cop genre will fare.
To add more light to the production of Danny Glover, who played Roger Murtaugh in the movies, told Variety that the script resonates with current events:
I found the plot had very strong relevance to some of things that are happening today. I can say that,
It would be interesting to see how we take this within the political framework we are in; the economic framework that we are in.
And especially that framework as opposed to the communities that have been affected by the kind of police violence, the kind of police standards, and the power that they exert as well.
What would be interesting from that vantage point is what that attempt could be like at this particular moment.
Lethal Weapon 5 will be produced by Dan Lin, who was the executive producer for the rebooted Lethal Weapon TV series. The fifth film has been in the making for many years now with Gibson and Glover expressing a lack of interest. Now, with the gang all back together again, it just might be the final spark needed to get development up to speed.
Gerald currently straddles between his love of video games and board gaming. There’s nothing that interests him more than trying out the newest and fanciest gadget in town as well. He dreams of publishing a board game sometime in the future!
Kaylyn Lim
Natalie
