Mel Gibson pulls out of 'Lethal Weapon 5'

While Warner Brothers studio made the announcement a year ago that the 'Lethal Weapon' franchise will live on, its star Mel Gibson has revealed that he will not be a part of it.

Oscar winner Gibson told ComingSoon: "No. I think the way things are going, they'll just remake those somehow.

"Though it's really tough to replace Danny [Glover]. He was so amazing in those things. It was a good gig for us. They really afforded me the opportunity to slow down and pick things and do things that really interested me."

The comments suggest that Glover looks set to drop out of it as well. Together they played cops Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh - polar opposites who became great friends while managing to place their friends, family and colleagues in jeapordy. Throw in some Eric Clapton guitar solos, extended action scenes and Richard Donner in the director's chair and the formula ran for four films and made a killing at the box office.

However, Gibson's days as a leading man appear to be behind him especially given his trackrecord for courting controversy offscreen. Behind the camera though, the 'Braveheart' director has big plans - the biggest of which is his long-gestating Viking movie, 'Berserker'.

He updated ComingSoon: "I believe it's going forward. I've talked to actors and stuff, and there are some good names attached who want to do it."

"I've got a great script. And the idea's been batting around my head for years. And I couldn't find a way to make it work, because if you look at what Vikings did, they're pretty unsympathetic. And there's no point in doing Viking light. So I had to find a way to find devices and ways to make that work dramatically, intelligently and make it seem realistic."
 

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