Mel Gibson claims Warner Bros Discovery merger is behind Lethal Weapon 5 delay

Mel Gibson has claimed that the Warner Bros Discovery merger is responsible for the delays to Lethal Weapon 5.

Last year, Gibson revealed that a fifth Lethal Weapon film was on its way following the death of original director Richard Donner, aged 91.

Donner had asked Gibson to take over the script he had been developing in the event of his death, with the actor now not only starring in, but directing, Lethal Weapon 5.

The film was expected to launch on HBO Max, but has faced many setbacks, with Gibson now claiming that the only thing standing between him and the project was the recently announced merging of Warner Bros and Discovery.

“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,” Gibson told ScreenRant.

“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.”

The Independent has contacted Warner Bros Discovery for comment.

Warner Bros and Discovery merged in April 2022, prompting many changes within the industry.

One of them was the much-discussed cancellation of the Batgirl film, despite its £73.7m shoot having already been completed.

A spokesperson at the time said: “The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max”.

The last Lethal Weapon film, Lethal Weapon 4, was released in 1998.