Mel Gibson is in talks to direct the upcoming Lethal Weapon 5, taking over the reins from the late Richard Donner, who helmed all four of the previous action movie outings.
Gibson, who has played LAPD detective Martin Riggs in the action franchise alongside Danny Glover as his mismatched partner Roger Murtaugh since 1987, said that he was asked to do the job by Donner before the filmmaker died in July of this year.
Speaking at an Experience With… fan event in London on Sunday, Gibson remarked that he was taking over behind the lens.
He said: "He was developing the screenplay and he got pretty far along with it. And he said to me one day, 'Listen kid, if I kick the bucket, you will do it'. And I said, 'Shut up'.
"He did indeed pass away, but he did ask me to do it, and, at the time, I didn't say anything. He said it to his wife and to the studio and the producer. So, I will be directing the fifth one."
US film industry publication Variety has now confirmed that Gibson is in talks to take over directorial duties. His other films as director include Apocalypto, The Passion of the Christ and the multi-Oscar-winning Braveheart.
The fifth instalment of the classic buddy cop franchise has been in development for several years, with Richard Wenk (The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven) writing the most recent draft of the script.
The last outing for the franchise, Lethal Weapon 4, was released in 1998.
