Lethal Weapon 5: Mel and Danny’s Epic Buddy Bash on Life Support – Will Hollywood Finally Pull the Trigger?

Exclusive Scoop: Inside the Heartbreaking Hold-Up That’s Got Fans Begging for One Last Riggs-Murtaugh Mayhem!

Oh, Hollywood, you cruel mistress of missed opportunities! Picture this: Two silver-screen legends, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, both pushing the golden years but still packing more punch than a double espresso, ready to strap on their holsters for Lethal Weapon 5.

It’s the sequel we’ve all been drooling over since the credits rolled on that baby-faced Lethal Weapon 4 back in ’98. But here’s the gut-punch – despite a script that’s got Mel tearing up like it’s his first Oscar nod, Warner Bros. is playing hard-to-get.

Is this the final “I’m too old for this s***” we’ll ever hear from Roger Murtaugh? Or will studio suits finally wise up and greenlight the buddy-cop bonanza of our dreams? Buckle up, darlings – we’re diving deep into the drama, the dirt, and the desperate hope that’s keeping this franchise’s heart beating.

Let’s rewind the tape to those glory days, shall we? It all kicked off in 1987 with Lethal Weapon, the flick that turned the buddy-cop genre from sleepy procedural snoozefests into adrenaline-fueled fireworks.

Mel as the wild-card widower Martin Riggs? Chef’s kiss! A guy so unhinged he could’ve been the lovechild of a grenade and a therapy session. And Danny? As the by-the-book family man Roger Murtaugh, he was the anchor that kept Mel’s chaos from sinking the ship. Their chemistry? Electric. Explosive.

The kind that makes you believe two dudes jumping off buildings and cracking wise mid-chase could actually save the world – or at least Los Angeles from bad guys with worse hair.

That first film? A smash. Raked in $120 million worldwide on a shoestring budget, proving audiences craved heart amid the havoc. Then came Lethal Weapon 2 in ’89, where they cranked the comedy dial with Joe Pesci’s neurotic accountant Leo Getz yapping “Okay, okay, okay!” like a human stress ball.

Box office? $227 million. Pure gold. By Lethal Weapon 3 (’92), the laughs leaned harder into rom-com territory – think Murtaugh’s daughter dating a cop and Riggs playing matchmaker with bullets. Over $320 million said fans were hooked.

And Lethal Weapon 4? Jet Li as the villainous Triad boss, Chris Rock as the wisecracking detective – it grossed $285 million, even if critics grumbled about the formula feeling a tad formulaic. Add it all up, and this quartet of chaos has pocketed Warner Bros. nearly a billion bucks.

A billion! That’s enough to buy a small country or, say, fund one more glorious goodbye.

Fast-forward to the 2010s, and whispers of Lethal Weapon 5 start swirling like smoke from one of Riggs’ infamous cigarettes. The late, great Richard Donner – the visionary director who birthed this beast and helmed the first three – was all in.

He saw it as a “legacy sequel,” a nod to the passage of time, where our boys grapple with creaky knees, empty nests, and the big “What now?” of retirement. Donner passed in 2021 at 91, leaving a void bigger than the Grand Canyon.

But enter Mel Gibson, stage right, not just as star but as director. “I sat down with a writer and we did two or three drafts of screenplays, and it came out pretty good,” Mel gushed in a recent chat.

“In fact, I think it’s the best of all of them. It’s a lot of fun and I got really emotional.” Emotional? Mel Gibson? The man who stared down the devil in The Passion of the Christ? If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.

And Danny Glover? At 78, he’s the elder statesman of soul, but don’t let those laugh lines fool you – he’s still got that Murtaugh gravitas that could ground a rocket.

Back in 2020, he teased, “I can only tell you, if it does happen, there’s something extraordinary about the story.” Extraordinary how? Rumors swirl of a plot that hits harder than a Riggs roundhouse: Think privatized policing gone rogue, global crime syndicates with a tech twist, or even a snowy New York showdown far from their sunny SoCal stomping grounds.

It’s not just bullets and banter anymore; it’s a meditation on mortality, friendship forged in fire, and yeah, maybe a little corruption in the ranks that mirrors our own topsy-turvy world.

Glover hinted it ties into “contemporary political and social issues,” making it feel ripped from today’s headlines – or at least tomorrow’s therapy session.

But here’s where the tabloid tears flow: Warner Bros. won’t bite. Mel’s baffled. “For some reason, the studios are having a lot of problems,” he admitted. “I don’t know what the deal is, but it is a really good screenplay.” Problems? Honey, we’ve got a list.

First, the Discovery merger turned Warner into a cost-cutting colossus, slashing scripts like they’re on a keto diet.

Then there’s the R-rated elephant in the room – in a PG-13 streaming era, how do you market grizzled vets trading f-bombs and near-death dives? And let’s not sugarcoat it: Mel’s 69, Danny’s 78. Stunt doubles can only do so much when the script demands you outrun explosions.

“The window’s closing,” Glover’s implied, echoing his iconic line with a poignant wink. Fans get it – we’ve seen Top Gun: Maverick soar with Tom Cruise at 60, proving nostalgia sells like hotcakes.

Why not give Riggs and Murtaugh their Maverick moment? A billion-dollar legacy deserves a bow, not a bench.

The fan frenzy? Off the charts.

Social media’s ablaze with memes of Mel and Danny Photoshopped into Marvel suits, petitions circling like vultures (over 50,000 signatures on Change.org alone), and think pieces pleading, “Let them ride into the sunset – with grenades!” One Twitter storm from @BuddyCopFanatic ranted, “WB, if you kill LW5, you’re worse than the South African diplomats in LW2!” Redditors dream up plot twists: Riggs mentoring a millennial sidekick? Murtaugh as a grumpy grandpa dodging grandkid chaos amid cartel takedowns? The possibilities are deliciously deranged, and the devotion? Unwavering.

These aren’t just movies; they’re comfort food for the soul, reminding us that even in a world of reboots and remakes, true bromance endures.

Speculation runs wilder than Riggs on a bad day.

If it happens – when it happens, pray tell – could we see cameos? Pesci reprising Leo as a retired pain-in-the-ass consultant? Rock’s Lee Butters as a family man foil? And Donner? His spirit looms large; Gibson’s vowed to honor him, maybe dedicating the flick with a post-credits tribute that’d have us all ugly-crying in the multiplex.

But if the suits stay stubborn? It’d be the ultimate Hollywood heartbreak – two icons left hanging, their final hurrah dust-binned with the dodos. Imagine the what-ifs: A globe-trotting finale where Murtaugh finally retires… only for Riggs to drag him back one last time. Gallows humor? Check.

Gut-wrenching goodbyes? Double check. Box office billions? You bet your badge.

Yet amid the gloom, glimmers of hope flicker like a lighter in the dark. Gibson’s not one to quit – he’s juggling this with directing The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, proving he’s got gas in the tank.

Glover’s game, age be damned, because as he says, the story’s too extraordinary to shelve. And Warner? They’re not heartless; they’ve rebooted Dune, revived The Batman. Why not one more lap for the OGs who paved the way?

Darlings, Lethal Weapon 5 isn’t just a sequel – it’s a love letter, a laugh riot, a lump-in-the-throat legacy.

In an industry churning out caped crusaders and CGI spectacles, we need Riggs and Murtaugh more than ever: Flawed, funny, fiercely loyal heroes proving you’re never too old for justice, joy, or jumping off cliffs. Hollywood, hear our plea: Light the fuse. Let the weapons fly lethal one last time.

Because if not now, when? And if this is truly the end, we’ll toast to the memories – with a side of “Okay, okay, okay!”