Lethal Weapon Screenwriter Almost Made a Huge Mistake in Sequel!

Imagine “Lethal Weapon” without Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. It’s nearly impossible, as these two stars are essential to this quintessential American action series. Yet, the franchise could have drastically changed as early as the second film, with screenwriter Shane Black initially wanting to kill off one of the two main heroes!

Shane Black, also known for writing the scripts for “Iron Man 3” and “The Nice Guys,” approached the sequel, “Lethal Weapon 2,” which hit theaters in 1989, with the bold decision to kill off Martin Riggs, played by Mel Gibson. As our colleagues at Collider remind us, this idea was met with an immediate rejection from Warner Bros.

Eager to continue the adventures of the duo Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh (and thankfully so!), Warner Bros. decided to shelve Shane Black’s radical idea. They asked Jeffrey Boam to work on a more traditional script.

“You Can’t Do That!”

David Greenblatt, Shane Black’s agent for over two decades, recalls this peculiar episode where he realized his client had committed a Hollywood faux pas by attempting to kill the hero. “I got a call from Warner Bros., and they said, ‘You can’t do that!'”, he shared in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

“It makes sense, right?”, the agent continued. “What would the next two films have been about without Riggs’ extraordinary presence? We love Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh, his signature line ‘I’m too old for this’ in each film, and his wonderful family. However, without Riggs, the audience would definitely wonder, ‘Why wouldn’t Murtaugh just retire already?'”

To date, the “Lethal Weapon” series comprises four films, with a fifth installment still in development. That much-talked-about retirement might not be happening just yet.

Trailer for “Lethal Weapon 2”: