Fact Check: Is Lethal Weapon 5 starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover releasing in 2025? Viral poster debunked

A poster claiming a new Lethal Weapon film is set to come out this July has been making its rounds online. It all began last week when Facebook user @YODA BBY ABY shared a fan-made graphic for a fifth movie in the franchise starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

"RIGGS AND MURTAUGH ARE BACK!!!" the post read.

It continued to detail the plot, explaining that the two actors would play retired cops Martin Riggs (Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Glover), who have been living in Miami. The pair run a private detective agency along with Leo (Joe Pesci). The post added:

"(However an) explosive case drags them back into a world of chaos and danger."

Further, it claimed that Lethal Weapon 5 would be directed by Gibson himself, and would release in theaters this July.

However, the poster is a fan-made one, and no such movie is in the works. Facebook user @YODA BBY ABY is known to make similar mock artwork pieces for films. Their profile reads that their content is "100% satire and fake news."

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Richard Donner was working on a Lethal Weapon sequel before his death in 2021

Lethal Weapon is a buddy-cop action comedy film franchise created by Shane Black. It is centered around two mismatched Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives, played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, who work together to take down some of the city's biggest criminals. The films were instant hits due to the hilarious chemistry between the two actors and the top-notch action.

Four movies directed by Richard Donner have been released in the franchise between 1987 and 1998. Additionally, the success of the films spurred a TV show reboot with a different creative team.

Rumors of a fifth film have been circulating since the late 2000s. However, they were never offically confirmed.

According to a February 2025 article by Screen Rant, the late 2010s and early 2020s saw a renewed industry interest in blockbuster legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick. Per the outlet, a Lethal Weapon 5 movie has been in the works since 2020.

Per a December 2020 CBR report, Donner was set to direct the films with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, reprising their roles. At the time, the director stated that it would be the last film in the franchise, and that it would be the last movie he directed.

However, following his death in 2021, the sequel hit a pause. In June 2024, Gibson, in an interview on the Inspire Me podcast, revealed that he would be directing the Lethal Weapon sequel, adding:

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

Gibson revealed that Donner had written a considerable portion of its screenplay, and he planned on building upon it. He noted that the film would be equal parts funny and serious. In September of the same year, Gibson told ComicBook that he "had gotten a fair way" into writing the script for Lethal Weapon 5.

In January 2025, Closer Weekly, citing an "insider close to the dormant franchise and its filmmakers," reported that Mel Gibson was happy about the script and promised it would be a huge success when it got greenlit.

There have been no other reports about the film as of this writing.