Caffeinated Clint
It’s the sequel proposal that Hollywood just doesn’t want to cut a break.
There’s been a few near successful pitches for a “Lethal Weapon 5” but just as soon as the studio starts considering the idea, they go cold. And it sounds like it’s happened again.
A couple of months ago, it was confirmed that the original golden trio Richard Donner (director), Mel Gibson, and Danny Glover were yakking to Warner Bros about a new sequel to the 1987 film. The idea Donner and writer Channing Gibson had was good, apparently, and everyone was onboard with it. But new comments from Donner suggest that something has gone wrong and the project has been derailed.
While appearing on the Maltin On Movies podcast, Donner revealed the negotiations have broken down on “Lethal Finale” (yep, that was the title of the film) with the finger wiggled in the direction of WB’s legal department.
“I’m ready to do 5. It’s called Lethal Finale. It’s very dark. And we were all set to go and now Warner Bros. is doing their old-fashioned tricks. Not Warner Bros., there’s this guy who runs the studio who’s great but they have these people in the legal department who do the negotiating in the most counter-productive way. They should be sent to a studio and work with the producers and directors and actors, and learn what makes a film, and then negotiate. But it’s just embarrassing.”
Donner added, “I wanted to end it on an emotional note, and I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”
Of course, once Warner Bros start googling for forum comments and twitter responses to this news they’ll likely see there’s a huge appetite for a fifth film in the series and negotiations will be back on.
