After years of speculation, it seems as if Lethal Weapon 5 is finally happening, and there are already some exciting updates concerning the legacy sequel. The beloved buddy cop action franchise follows the exploits of Los Angeles detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) as they take down some of the city’s biggest criminals while trying not to get on each other’s nerves. Besides the over-the-top action, the glue that held the franchise together was always the hilarious chemistry between the stars, Glover and Gibson.

The first movie was released in 1987, and three more followed at various intervals, with Lethal Weapon 4 hitting screens in 1998. While it seemed as if the classic ’80s action franchise had finally ridden off into the sunset with the dawn of the new millennium, speculation always abounded about a fifth movie. The late 2010s and early 2020s saw the rise of blockbuster legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick, and news began to flood in about Lethal Weapon 5. Now, the long-gestating project is seemingly taking the next steps to become a reality.

Lethal Weapon 5 Latest News

Shane Black Offers An Update On The Sequel

As the wait continues for concrete details regarding the sequel, the latest news finds Shane Black discussing Lethal Weapon 5. The original writer of Lethal Weapon recently spoke with Screen Rant, where he weighed in on what’s taking the fifth film so long. Though he freely admitted that he isn’t directly involved with the long-gestating sequel, he said “It’s been tough since Richard Donner pᴀssed, and it’s become tougher.“ The late Richard Donner was the driving force behind the project, and without its advocate, it seems as if Lethal Weapon 5 has stalled.

Read Black’s full comments here:

I’m in the dark. It’s been tough since Richard Donner pᴀssed, and it’s become tougher. But there’s a basic task that has to be addressed, which is, “How do you make something, after this many years, that seems like it was intended from the start?” There has to be a reason to have made another one, right? Because it wasn’t intended. We didn’t think we were going to be at Lethal Weapon 5!

But, actually, what’s great is that the pᴀssage of years [helps] you find something that’s appropriate and gives closure. It has to feel like it’s intended, and it’s also informed by the magic of all those years having intervened. That’s a tough writing job, and I haven’t read a script in a while, but I know they’re trying. I hope someone finds the one thing thematically that makes them say, “That’s the soul [of the franchise].” And I hope it gets its proper day in court because, for some reason, these ’80s things just keep coming back.

Lethal Weapon 5 Is Confirmed

News Has Been Coming Steadily Since 2020

Like many legacy sequels, news concerning Lethal Weapon 5 has been kicked around practically since the release of the last movie, but hard details began surfacing around 2020. When the project was first revealed, original franchise director Richard Donner was attached to write and direct, with Danny Glover and Mel Gibson reprising their roles. Unfortunately, Donner pᴀssed away in 2021 and directing duties were then shifted to Gibson. A new writer was added in 2023 and the project has slowly simmered since. However, despite taking a while, the fifth movie is still happening.

Lethal Weapon 5 Cast

Glover & Gibson Are Confirmed To Return

Considering the unbelievable chemistry between the two leads in the buddy cop classic, it comes as no surprise that Lethal Weapon 5 is bringing back Mel Gibson and Danny Glover to reprise their beloved roles. Glover’s turn as the straight-laced Murtaugh was the perfect foil to Gibson’s loose-canon Riggs, and the duo elevated each other’s performance in each Lethal Weapon movie. As for the rest of the cast, nothing is known about potential returns, and without any story details, it’s impossible to know if any new characters will be introduced.

The confirmed cast of Lethal Weapon 5 includes:

Actor	Lethal Weapon 5 Role
Mel Gibson	Martin Riggs
Danny Glover	Roger Murtaugh

Lethal Weapon 5 Story Details

Nothing Is Known About The Sequel’s Story Yet

ʙuттerworth’s script for Lethal Weapon 5 was described by producer Dan Lin as very personal to Richard Donner and the cast. Other than that, not much is known. By the end of Lethal Weapon 4, Riggs had fathered a son, and Murtaugh became grandfather to a baby girl. Given the two-and-a-half decade gap since that movie, it seems like a no-brainer to have Lethal Weapon 5 usher in those now-adult offspring as the new Riggs and Murtaugh, because after all this time the original Murtaugh genuinely is “too old for this s***,” as he famously exclaimed in the original films.