Mel Gibson reveals the reason behind Lethal Weapon 5 delay

The fifth ‘Lethal Weapon’ movie has been stuck in development hell because "the studios are having a lot of problems", Mel Gibson has said.

The 69-year-old actor is set to reprise his role as LA police officer Martin Riggs as well as direct the long-awaited sequel, though Gibson has revealed Warner Bros. has been facing internal issues that have slowed development down - despite the next ‘Lethal Weapon’ having "a really good screenplay".

Speaking to Screen Rant, he said: "For some reason, the studios are having a lot of problems. I don’t know what the deal is.

“I’m not sure what the problem is, but it is a really good screenplay."

‘The Passion of the Christ’ director teased that the fifth ‘Lethal Weapon’ movie was the best entry in the series, and described it as "a lot of fun" and "really emotional".

He said: "I sat down with a writer and we did two or three drafts of screenplays and it came out pretty good. In fact, I think it’s the best of all of them. It’s a lot of fun and got really emotional."

Gibson has starred opposite Danny Glover in the ‘Lethal Weapon’ franchise since its debut in 1987, with the late Richard Donner helming the series behind the camera until the latest entry ‘Lethal Weapon 4’ in 1998.

However, since Donner’s passing in 2021 at the age of 91, the Oscar-winning filmmaker has picked up directing duties for the fifth ‘Lethal Weapon’.

The ‘Mad Max’ star said during an appearance on the ‘Inspire Me’ podcast: "I’m going to direct the fifth film in the Lethal Weapon series.

"Richard Donner, who did the other four, sadly passed away and he was a good friend. He kind of tasked me with carrying the flag home on that one so it’ll be an honour for me to do that."

Gibson and the creative team for the fifth ‘Lethal Weapon’ movie have been building on a script written by the late Donner.

He said: "We’ve used what was there and we kept kind of poking at it and working at it. I’m pretty happy with it. It’s good, I had a lot of fun doing it.

"It’s funny, but it’s pretty serious too. It tackles a couple of hard issues. I’m looking forward to it."

As well as Gibson’s Martin Riggs, Glover’s Roger Murtaugh is also confirmed to be returning for the fifth ‘Lethal Weapon’.

Gibson previously revealed that changes behind the scenes at Warner Bros. had caused delays on the next ‘Lethal Weapon’, and said at the time he hoped the movie would start shooting at the beginning of 2025 - though the flick is yet to enter production.

The ‘Braveheart’ actor explained: "The only delay is now with all the shake-up at Warners, with Discovery coming in and the new boss, and they chop everyone else up and throw them away and get new people.

"It always takes time for these companies to regroup, so that's been a delay, but I'm pretty confident we'll get this one up on its feet, probably shoot it in the first quarter of the New Year."