It looks like Mel Gibson fans will have to make do with those old DVD box sets of Mad Max and Lethal Weapon.

Hot on the heels of the news that Mel wont be returning to Mad Max comes official news that Warner Bros. has given up on the Lethal Weapon franchise due to Mel’s lack of interest.

Clint Morris at Moviehole (who appears to have a mole deep inside the Warner Bros lot) spoke with an executive who said :

“That one is as good as dead. It won’t happen. Which is a pity”

When news broke that Joel Silver was producing a Shane Black-penned and directed Lethal Weapon 5 the internet went crazy with the prospect of another Riggs and Murtaugh adventure.

However, the main sticking point appeared to be Mel Gibson. Would the star return to his trademark role of Martin Riggs, considering the amount of time that had passed since the last installment?

These guesses and rumors were recently shot down by original franchise director Richard Donner – who says that Mel turned the flick down.

The Reason?

Donner wasn’t asked back to the party.

In August, Screen Rant reported that Shane Black was writing the script for the fifth installment of the Lethal Weapon franchise with interest from both Danny Glover and Mel Gibson making their return.

The reported synopsis had Riggs (Gibson’s chracacter) who’s just about to retire, bringing Murtaugh (Glover’s character) out of retirement to solve one final case. This sounds like it would be the final sendoff the characters and it would allow the franchise to end with some closure.

As a huge fan of the Lethal Weapon movies, Mel Gibson, Richard Donner and the work of Shane Black, I was excited when news surfaced that Black had penned a treatment for Lethal Weapon 5.

However, I’m now torn due to the news that Black has been asked by producer Joel Silver to helm the project, leaving Dick Donner out of the project. Strange news indeed, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was an exceptional piece of entertainment, but I don’t know if I’d want to see a “Dickless” Lethal Weapon movie.

So why has Lethal Weapon 5 not been offered to Donner – and will Mel Gibson star in the film?

I think that it’s well known around these parts that I’m a big supporter of Mel Gibson (let’s not get into his views, the guy is a movie star), and that I love Richard Donner’s movies. I also love the work of Shane Black – that guy knew how to pen a witty action movie. If you don’t know, check out Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Last Boy Scout.

And now news has come in that Shane Black, writer of the original Lethal Weapon film, has apparently penned a fifth installment of the action series. Allegedly he has shown the script to producer Joel Silver (Speed Racer) and both Danny Glover and Mad Mel are interested in returning to their signature roles!

This is great news – but is it really going to happen?