Mel Gibson has expressed his continued interest in directing Lethal Weapon 5, though the project appears to be caught in significant development challenges. According to Gibson, a screenplay penned by Richard Wenk is complete, a development that followed the passing of franchise director Richard Donner in July 2021.
Gibson, who portrayed LAPD detective Martin Riggs in the original film series, described Lethal Weapon 5 as a more character-driven story that acknowledges the advanced age of its protagonists. "The characters are quite different. They’re older. One’s retired. The other one’s on a desk job. He’s putting on too much weight, and it’s low-tech," Gibson told Collider. He elaborated that while the film would retain the energy of its predecessors, its focus would shift from "big explosions" to the internal lives of the characters, likening its action sequences to the filmed intensity of a car chase, even in a foot pursuit, as seen in his directorial effort Apocalypto.
Despite the creative vision, Gibson stated that the film is "tied up in some kind of industrial film hell that you can’t extract it from to make it." He indicated that his hopes for the project's advancement are contingent on Paramount chief David Ellison, particularly if Ellison's potential acquisition of Warner Bros. materializes.
The Lethal Weapon franchise, which began in 1987, was instrumental in elevating the careers of Gibson and co-star Danny Glover. It also provided a significant early platform for screenwriter Shane Black. Gibson himself has a substantial directorial career, including the Oscar-winning Braveheart and other films like The Passion of the Christ and Hacksaw Ridge. He is also slated to direct The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One.