One of the greatest and most influential action movies of all time, Shane Black's razor-sharp script and the sparkling chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover resulted in an instantly-iconic buddy cop pairing that saw Lethal Weapon become a critical and commercial hit that would go on to spawn three sequels, with the combined box office earnings of the franchise over $950m. As the recent success of The Heat and Ride Along has shown, the buddy cop movie remains immensely popular with audiences when done right. A remake of Lethal Weapon is completely unnecessary, but one that will inevitably come to pass as Hollywood continually favors properties with name recognition over original efforts. In 2011, series producer Joel Silver hired Will Beall to write the script for the remake before everything went quiet until rumors surfaced earlier this year that Chris Hemsworth was wanted for one of the two lead roles. Beall's script was reported to keep the R-rated and edgy tone of the original, but the real heart of the franchise had nothing to do with plot specifics; it was the chemistry between Gibson and Glover. It seems entirely pointless to remake Lethal Weapon given the enduring popularity and appeal of the franchise, but tacking on a name that audiences will recognize is seemingly much easier to market than an original property with a strong script.
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