Mel Gibson Unenthusiatic About Lethal Weapon 5

[TMC]

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a14...apon.html?imdb

Mel Gibson has ruled out a return to the Lethal Weapon franchise.

The actor, who starred as cop Martin Riggs in the first four instalments of the action series, told MTV that he has little interest in reprising the role.

"I couldn't imagine going back there to try to revive that one," he said. "I think we got everything we could out of it."

Interest in a new Lethal Weapon was sparked last year when original writer Shane Black penned an outline for a fifth movie, attracting producer Joel Silver. However, according to series director Richard Donner, the film collapsed when Gibson snubbed an offer to return.

"Of course these things always come around," Gibson continued. "Five though? Five?! Please."

Gibson will return to the big screen in November after a six-year absence to star in Martin Campbell's Edge Of Darkness.

I kind of torn between whether or not a Lethal Weapon 5 is a good idea. At one end, Gibson needs to win his fans and public support back after the controversy surrounding his drunken driving/anti-Semetic remarks scandal. Also, Harrison Ford during a fourth Indiana Jones, Bruce Willis doing a fourth Die Hard, Sylvester Stallone doing a sixth Rocky and fourth Rambo, Arnold Schwarzenegger doing a third Terminator (12 years after the second), and recently, Eddie Murphy planning to do a fourth Beverly Hills Cop are recent examples of older actors revisting well known action-adventure franchises in order to prove that they can still kick ass.

On the other end, I kind of agree with Gibson that it's going to be awfully hard to figure out other places to take the Lethal Weapon saga. The fourth one felt like a big old family reunion, with the "Why Can't We Be Friends" montage at the end, seemingly further driving home the point that this was going to be the last one. Plus, I kind of like the fact that in the first one, Martin Riggs is this burned out, depressed, suicidal cop, and by the fourth movie, he's able to remarry and becomes a father (talk about character evolution). Gibson was reluctant to do a Lethal Weapon 4, but decided to go for it after receiving a fat paycheck.

The only way that I could see a Lethal Weapon 5 working is that they do a geopolticial storyline that's relevant to whatever is going on in the news right now. Like the second one, talked about aparthide, the third one talked about gun control, and the fourth one talked about slavery and immigration issues.

[DVDFreaker]

4 movies is already enough!

[88survivor]

A much crazier Mel Gibson spewing anti-Semitic remarks...count me out. Mel just went overboard, just like Joaquin Phoenix did recently on Letterman.