Mel Gibson debunks Lethal Weapon 5 rumours and hints at remake
Mel Gibson has confirmed that the long-running 'Lethal Weapon 5' rumours will never become reality, but has hinted at a possible remake instead.
Speaking to Coming Soon the former Riggs said: "Nah. I've done it. There are new challenges. No, I think the way things are going with 'Total Recall', they'll just remake those somehow.
"It's really tough to replace Danny [Glover]. He was so amazing in those things. It was a good gig for us. It worked. But we knew it would."
Sounds pretty definitive to us.
Gibson has been trying to resurrect his career in recent years following numerous well-documented incidents. It would have been understandable if he was tempted by the sure-fire pay check of a fifth 'Lethal Weapon' but he's resisted and fair play to him.
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Of course this won't stop Hollywood studios from milking cash-cows, flogging dead horses or any number of animal-related metaphors. If a new 'Lethal Weapon' is what Warner Bros. want then that's what they'll get.
But who to cast? A rebooted 'Lethal Weapon' has stinker written all over it, so naturally you turn to Taylor Kitsch for the starring role (bit harsh?). He caught Hollywood's eye as Tim Riggins on hit show 'Friday Night Lights' and that sounds a bit like Martin Riggs doesn't it? This is clearly meant to be!
Channing Tatum is so hot right now they delayed 'G.I Joe 2' by a year just to put him in the film more, so he'd probably be on a studio boss's hit list.
There's also the Hemsworth brothers to consider. Chris is a bit too busy being a Norse God at the moment to be a mentally unstable war vet but how about his brother Liam? He was in hit film 'The Hunger Games' earlier this year and barely said a word, so he'd certainly be keen prove himself.
Taylor Lautner will be on the prowl for non-modelling work after the 'Twilight' saga finishes so maybe he would get the call. He made that 'Abduction' film too, which everyone remembers right?
Then there's Murtaugh; the role made famous by Danny Glover.
He'd need to be an older actor of course; one who people want to watch on the big screen - or perhaps Eddie Murphy. Denzel Washington? Forrest Whitaker? Maybe they're too old but we'd love to hear them say, "I'm too old for this s**t!".
How about a fresh-out-of-jail Wesley Snipes?
Give any of these pairings a dubstep soundtrack and Bret Ratner behind the camera and you start to see the film as envisioned by a studio exec. For better or worse.
All joking aside, only roughly a dozen people want a 'Lethal Weapon' reboot, and they're all on the Warner Bros. board of directors.