Lethal Weapon 4
Encyclopedia
Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American action film directed by Richard Donner
, starring Mel Gibson
, Danny Glover
, Joe Pesci
, Rene Russo
, Chris Rock
and Jet Li
. It is the third sequel
in the Lethal Weapon series of films
.
sergeant Martin Riggs' baby; they are not married, but both are thinking about it. Police sergeant Roger Murtaugh's daughter Rianne is also pregnant, and Riggs later learns from Lorna that Rianne has secretly married Lee Butters (Chris Rock
), a young detective who works at the same precinct as Murtaugh and Riggs - secretly because Roger had made it clear that his daughter should not marry a police officer.
Riggs, Murtaugh, and Butters - with some assistance from Leo Getz (Pesci), who is now a private detective - investigate a Chinese
immigrant smuggling ring after they come across a vessel with a cargo hold of Chinese slave laborers; in the course of these events Murtaugh's boat is sunk. Murtaugh finds a dinghy
alongside with a Chinese family whom he provides shelter for at his house, claiming to be "freeing slaves
."
Information about a crime boss named Benny Chan (Kim Chan
), a.k.a. "Uncle Benny," leads them to Chinatown
, where they are introduced to a high-ranking Triad negotiator named Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li
). Benny forces the three cops out of the restaurant without providing information on what his and the Triads' plans are. Outside, the cops encounter the captain of the ship and chase him and another suspect. The other suspect turns out to be a restaurant waiter and is freed. Ku later kills the captain for letting the cops know about their secret plans.
Riggs and Murtaugh hire Leo to follow Benny around, but after Hong, the father of the Chinese family Murtaugh rescued, contacts his uncle, they come home to find Ku and his men holding Lorna and Murtaugh's family hostage and that Hong and his family are taken away. After a brief fight, the house is set on fire with everyone tied up inside. Ping, one of the Hong children, however, frees them, having eluded captivity. Murtaugh and Riggs chase down two of the triad members down a freeway, but both men are killed in collision with traffic without giving any information on the Hongs' whereabouts.
Ku and the other men visit a Chinese-based holding cell being run by a corrupt Chinese general, who is holding four Triad overlords known as the "Four Fathers," one of whom is Ku's brother, and demanding a huge payoff from the Triads for their release.
After Riggs and Murtaugh return to Murtaugh's home, Leo informs them and Butters that Benny is seeing his dentist, and using Leo to distract the dentist, the three cops use nitrous oxide
to extract information from Benny. Riggs inadvertently reveals that Butters is Rianne's husband and the father of her baby. Because they had accidentally exposed themselves to the laughing gas as well, they misunderstood the information Benny provided them, which initially leads to some complications in their investigation.
Ku brings the Hongs to the Triads' hideout, where it is revealed that the Triads plan to give the corrupt general counterfeit Chinese money for the Four Fathers' release. The captive artist working on the printing plates is the elder uncle to Hong and agreed to do the job in exchange for his family's safe passage to the United States. Ku kills Hong in order to secure his uncle's cooperation. With the printing plates completed, he and Benny are also killed for exposing the operation and to protect the forgery.
Detective Ng, who is familiar with Chinese society, corrects Murtaugh and the other officers on the information Benny provided earlier and explains why the Triads torched Murtaugh's home. After Riggs picks up Ping and Lorna, the officers locate the hideout, but find only the dead and some of the counterfeit Chinese money inside. Ng once again helps them piece the entire operation together.
At the meeting between Ku and the corrupt general, Riggs, Murtaugh, Butters and other detectives expose the counterfeit money; as a result the general kills three of the Four Fathers. Ku's henchmen kill the general, and a firefight breaks out between the cops, the Triads and the general's private army. Butters is shot in the back while protecting Murtaugh and Murtaugh kills Ku's brother while aiming for Ku. In revenge, Ku starts a major fight with Riggs and Murtaugh on a pier. Murtaugh is knocked out after impaling Ku on a piece of rebar
while Riggs and Ku fall into the water when the pier collapses. Riggs struggles with Ku underwater and shoots him to death with an AK-47, but a slab of concrete from the pier falls and pins Riggs underwater until Murtaugh wakes up, jumps in, and saves him.
Riggs visits his dead wife's grave and asks her for advice about his impending marriage with Lorna, about which he still has doubts. He is interrupted by the arrival of Leo, who tells a story from his childhood that makes Riggs see the idea of remarrying in a new light. Riggs' pager goes off, indicating that Lorna is giving birth, and the two rush to the hospital. Riggs and Lorna are ceremonially married by a rabbi
just before their and Rianne's babies are born, Murtaugh accepts Butters as his son-in-law, and Hong's family is granted asylum.
maintain it cost less than $100 million) and an additional $50 million spent on marketing and distribution. This made the fourth movie the most expensive entry of the Lethal Weapon
franchise. Its profit margin was saved in part due to the combined foreign box office sales making the film gross approximately $285 million in total. Still, like its predecessors, Lethal Weapon 4 was among the top 10 grossing movies of its release year.
. James Berardinelli
gave the film three stars out of four, writing: "Given the expectations that constrain it, Lethal Weapon 4 is probably the best motion picture that could possibly result from another teaming of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. The series has lost a lot of steam since the first two entries, and, although the fourth movie ratchets up the energy level from the moribund state of the disappointing Lethal Weapon 3, there's no sense of spontaneity." Roger Ebert
gave Lethal Weapon 4 two stars out of four, writing: "Lethal Weapon 4 has all the technical skill of the first three movies in the series, but lacks the secret weapon, which was conviction. All four movies take two cop buddies and put them into spectacular and absurd action sequences, but the first three at least went through the motions of taking the plot seriously (and the first one did such a good job, it made my 'best 10' list of that year). This time, we're watching an exercise."
and DVD
numerous times. It has been rereleased in numerous sets that contain all four films in the series.
and Danny Glover
have expressed disinterest. In 2007, Moviehole.net received word from sources that Warner Bros.
are in the early stages of trying to relaunch the Lethal Weapon series sometime in 2009 or later. A spec script treatment has been written by Shane Black
, leading to rumors that the sequel was on fast track by Warner Bros.
with Black in the director's chair. Actor Columbus Short
said he was being considered for the role of Murtaugh's son. Director Richard Donner
is not involved with these plans, but he has his own ideas for a Lethal Weapon 5. According to the LA Times, Gibson has refused to reprise his role as Martin Riggs
for the fifth time, which Donner thinks is out of personal loyalty because Donner is not involved. Joel Silver
later confirmed Gibson’s lack of interest in the project. "We talked about it, but it was something that Mel didn't want to do now," he explained. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't want to do it ever, but as of right now, he doesn't." On the Australian website What's Playing, an insider said, "They’re talking again. Mel probably needs Joel, not to mention Lethal Weapon now more than ever, so I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it comes off this time. And it could be a good move, that’s a mighty big brand name - it probably would help Gibson, professionally-speaking.”
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
, starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
, Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
, Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
, Rene Russo
Rene Russo
- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
, Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
and Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
. It is the third sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
in the Lethal Weapon series of films
Lethal Weapon (film series)
Lethal Weapon is a series of films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a pair of LAPD detectives. All four films in the series were directed by Richard Donner, and also share many of the same core cast members.-Lethal Weapon :...
.
Plot
Lorna Cole is pregnant with LAPDLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
sergeant Martin Riggs' baby; they are not married, but both are thinking about it. Police sergeant Roger Murtaugh's daughter Rianne is also pregnant, and Riggs later learns from Lorna that Rianne has secretly married Lee Butters (Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
), a young detective who works at the same precinct as Murtaugh and Riggs - secretly because Roger had made it clear that his daughter should not marry a police officer.
Riggs, Murtaugh, and Butters - with some assistance from Leo Getz (Pesci), who is now a private detective - investigate a Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
immigrant smuggling ring after they come across a vessel with a cargo hold of Chinese slave laborers; in the course of these events Murtaugh's boat is sunk. Murtaugh finds a dinghy
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
alongside with a Chinese family whom he provides shelter for at his house, claiming to be "freeing slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
."
Information about a crime boss named Benny Chan (Kim Chan
Kim Chan
Kim Chan also known as Kim S. Chan, was a Chinese-American actor and producer. He was most notable for his role as The Ancient in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.-Early life:...
), a.k.a. "Uncle Benny," leads them to Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
, where they are introduced to a high-ranking Triad negotiator named Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
). Benny forces the three cops out of the restaurant without providing information on what his and the Triads' plans are. Outside, the cops encounter the captain of the ship and chase him and another suspect. The other suspect turns out to be a restaurant waiter and is freed. Ku later kills the captain for letting the cops know about their secret plans.
Riggs and Murtaugh hire Leo to follow Benny around, but after Hong, the father of the Chinese family Murtaugh rescued, contacts his uncle, they come home to find Ku and his men holding Lorna and Murtaugh's family hostage and that Hong and his family are taken away. After a brief fight, the house is set on fire with everyone tied up inside. Ping, one of the Hong children, however, frees them, having eluded captivity. Murtaugh and Riggs chase down two of the triad members down a freeway, but both men are killed in collision with traffic without giving any information on the Hongs' whereabouts.
Ku and the other men visit a Chinese-based holding cell being run by a corrupt Chinese general, who is holding four Triad overlords known as the "Four Fathers," one of whom is Ku's brother, and demanding a huge payoff from the Triads for their release.
After Riggs and Murtaugh return to Murtaugh's home, Leo informs them and Butters that Benny is seeing his dentist, and using Leo to distract the dentist, the three cops use nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
to extract information from Benny. Riggs inadvertently reveals that Butters is Rianne's husband and the father of her baby. Because they had accidentally exposed themselves to the laughing gas as well, they misunderstood the information Benny provided them, which initially leads to some complications in their investigation.
Ku brings the Hongs to the Triads' hideout, where it is revealed that the Triads plan to give the corrupt general counterfeit Chinese money for the Four Fathers' release. The captive artist working on the printing plates is the elder uncle to Hong and agreed to do the job in exchange for his family's safe passage to the United States. Ku kills Hong in order to secure his uncle's cooperation. With the printing plates completed, he and Benny are also killed for exposing the operation and to protect the forgery.
Detective Ng, who is familiar with Chinese society, corrects Murtaugh and the other officers on the information Benny provided earlier and explains why the Triads torched Murtaugh's home. After Riggs picks up Ping and Lorna, the officers locate the hideout, but find only the dead and some of the counterfeit Chinese money inside. Ng once again helps them piece the entire operation together.
At the meeting between Ku and the corrupt general, Riggs, Murtaugh, Butters and other detectives expose the counterfeit money; as a result the general kills three of the Four Fathers. Ku's henchmen kill the general, and a firefight breaks out between the cops, the Triads and the general's private army. Butters is shot in the back while protecting Murtaugh and Murtaugh kills Ku's brother while aiming for Ku. In revenge, Ku starts a major fight with Riggs and Murtaugh on a pier. Murtaugh is knocked out after impaling Ku on a piece of rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
while Riggs and Ku fall into the water when the pier collapses. Riggs struggles with Ku underwater and shoots him to death with an AK-47, but a slab of concrete from the pier falls and pins Riggs underwater until Murtaugh wakes up, jumps in, and saves him.
Riggs visits his dead wife's grave and asks her for advice about his impending marriage with Lorna, about which he still has doubts. He is interrupted by the arrival of Leo, who tells a story from his childhood that makes Riggs see the idea of remarrying in a new light. Riggs' pager goes off, indicating that Lorna is giving birth, and the two rush to the hospital. Riggs and Lorna are ceremonially married by a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
just before their and Rianne's babies are born, Murtaugh accepts Butters as his son-in-law, and Hong's family is granted asylum.
Cast
- Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
as Martin RiggsMartin RiggsMartin Riggs is a fictional police officer and protagonist from the Lethal Weapon franchise. He is played in all four films by Mel Gibson.- Military career :... - Danny GloverDanny GloverDanny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
as Roger MurtaughRoger MurtaughRoger Murtaugh is a fictional character and protagonist in the Lethal Weapon films, played in all four by Danny Glover.-Lethal Weapon:... - Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
as Wah Sing Ku - Rene RussoRene Russo- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
as Lorna Cole–Riggs - Joe PesciJoe PesciJoseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
as Leo Getz - Kim ChanKim ChanKim Chan also known as Kim S. Chan, was a Chinese-American actor and producer. He was most notable for his role as The Ancient in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.-Early life:...
as Uncle Benny Chan - Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
as Det. Lee Butters - Steve KahanSteve KahanSteve Kahan is an American character actor who has appeared many films, his best known film role is in the Lethal Weapon film franchise as Capt. Ed Murphy. Kahan's cousin is director Richard Donner, who has cast Kahan in many of his films...
as Capt. Ed Murphy - Calvin JungCalvin JungCalvin Jung is an American actor.Graduating from high school in New York, Jung attended Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia. He attended Hillsdale College in Michigan, and left his senior year to pursue acting back in New York. His first professional acting job was a commercial in Canada in...
as Detective Ng - Jack KehlerJack KehlerJack Kehler is an actor. He is sometimes credited as Jack Keeler.Jack has appeared in over 60 feature films, including Men in Black II. One of his most memorable performances was in film Love Liza as Denny, an energetic radio control hobbyist trying to help Philip Seymour Hoffman's character come...
as State Department Official - Eddy KoEddy KoEddy Ko Hung is a Hong Kong television and film actor who has worked on the TV stations RTV , TVB and ATV. His birthname is Ho Yiu Sum . He adopted the name Ko Hung as a stage name...
as Hong - Mary Ellen TrainorMary Ellen TrainorMary Ellen Trainor is an American actress best remembered as either Dr. Stephanie Woods in Lethal Weapon or as Harriet Walsh in The Goonies.Trainor was born in Chicago, Illinois...
as Doctor Stephanie Woods
Box office
Lethal Weapon debuted at No.1 at the box office. Although the film grossed $130 million domestically, it was not considered a runaway financial success as the previous three films had been. Shooting began in January 1998, just months before the film's release, with a production budget estimated at $120–$150 million (although Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
maintain it cost less than $100 million) and an additional $50 million spent on marketing and distribution. This made the fourth movie the most expensive entry of the Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
franchise. Its profit margin was saved in part due to the combined foreign box office sales making the film gross approximately $285 million in total. Still, like its predecessors, Lethal Weapon 4 was among the top 10 grossing movies of its release year.
Reception
Critical reaction to Lethal Weapon 4 was mixed. The film currently holds a rating of 52% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
gave the film three stars out of four, writing: "Given the expectations that constrain it, Lethal Weapon 4 is probably the best motion picture that could possibly result from another teaming of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. The series has lost a lot of steam since the first two entries, and, although the fourth movie ratchets up the energy level from the moribund state of the disappointing Lethal Weapon 3, there's no sense of spontaneity." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave Lethal Weapon 4 two stars out of four, writing: "Lethal Weapon 4 has all the technical skill of the first three movies in the series, but lacks the secret weapon, which was conviction. All four movies take two cop buddies and put them into spectacular and absurd action sequences, but the first three at least went through the motions of taking the plot seriously (and the first one did such a good job, it made my 'best 10' list of that year). This time, we're watching an exercise."
Home media
Lethal Weapon 4 has been released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
numerous times. It has been rereleased in numerous sets that contain all four films in the series.
Sequel
There has been talk of a fifth Lethal Weapon film, although both Mel GibsonMel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
have expressed disinterest. In 2007, Moviehole.net received word from sources that Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
are in the early stages of trying to relaunch the Lethal Weapon series sometime in 2009 or later. A spec script treatment has been written by Shane Black
Shane Black
Shane Black is an American actor, screenwriter and film director. He contributed to some of the biggest blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including work on Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout...
, leading to rumors that the sequel was on fast track by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
with Black in the director's chair. Actor Columbus Short
Columbus Short
Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...
said he was being considered for the role of Murtaugh's son. Director Richard Donner
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
is not involved with these plans, but he has his own ideas for a Lethal Weapon 5. According to the LA Times, Gibson has refused to reprise his role as Martin Riggs
Martin Riggs
Martin Riggs is a fictional police officer and protagonist from the Lethal Weapon franchise. He is played in all four films by Mel Gibson.- Military career :...
for the fifth time, which Donner thinks is out of personal loyalty because Donner is not involved. Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
later confirmed Gibson’s lack of interest in the project. "We talked about it, but it was something that Mel didn't want to do now," he explained. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't want to do it ever, but as of right now, he doesn't." On the Australian website What's Playing, an insider said, "They’re talking again. Mel probably needs Joel, not to mention Lethal Weapon now more than ever, so I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it comes off this time. And it could be a good move, that’s a mighty big brand name - it probably would help Gibson, professionally-speaking.”