Although this should be treated with a bit of a pinch of salt at the moment, Aussie site What’s Playing is reporting that after a month of hideously bad publicity, Mel Gibson is talking to Joel Silver about resurrecting the Lethal Weapon Franchise. While it’s difficult to know how seriously to take this, the truth of the rumour largely depends on how seriously Mel wants to keep his on-screen career.
Since his racist rants surfaced on the web last month, many in the industry have suggested that while he may survive as a director (but even that’s going to take a few years), his career in front of the cameras is essentially over. It’s an extra big blow for Gibson, who felt he was just coming back from three and a half years out in the cold, following his anti-semetic remarks during a drink-driving arrest. However his pariah status has now got to the point where some are even suggesting that the Jodie Foster directed The Beaver, which Gibson has filmed but is yet to be released, will now never see the light of day.
So despite consistently saying he has no interest in returning to Lethal Weapon, it could be that he’s feeling it’s time for desperation measures, and that a return to Martin Riggs may be the only way he’s going to get on screen ever again, and possibly salvage his acting career. He was first asked to return to the franchise in 2005, but at the time said no, but it appears his current difficulties have caused him to change his mind, and that this time around he may be the one trying to get it off the ground.
A source told What’s Playing, “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. I’m not in on those conversations though – so I don’t know how they’re progressing. You’re getting this third-hand.”
At the moment it’s all a rumour, and even if true, there’s no guarantee a studio (in this case Warner) would want to back Gibson at the moment, even if attached to such a successful franchise.