10 Dead Movie Franchises That Hollywood Must Revive

This one seems like nonsense, but bear with me here. The Lethal Weapon series is a case study in the law of diminishing returns: but unlike other franchises, which just get crappier through negligence and decreasing budgets, a decline in quality was actually built into the story of broken maverick cop Martin Riggs and his itchy trigger finger.

Essentially, the first Lethal Weapon film saw the pairing off of Riggs and his long-suffering, genial superior Roger Murtaugh, and Murtaugh’s realisation that his new partner - a decorated Vietnam special forces veteran who’d just lost his wife, the love of his life - was coming apart at the seams, and may well have a death wish.

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s easy chemistry is what made this buddy movie work so well, and Murtaugh’s friendship with Riggs, despite his abrasive personality and deep psychological wounds, is the engine that drove the narrative of all four movies. Yes, four movies - four films that see Riggs become happier, better adjusted and more stable as he gets older, that see him find love again, and a family.

By the time Lethal Weapon 4 rolled around, this wasn’t a psychologically-edgy action franchise anymore, but a zany comedy series, Gibson and Glover’s chemistry co-opted for self-consciously goofy repartee and daffy set pieces as Riggs and Murtaugh traded exaggerated reaction shots, while under heavy fire, to the news that they were about to become a father and grandfather, respectively.

Lethal Weapon only works the way Lethal Weapon is supposed to work if the damaged, unstable one is actually damaged and unstable. A putative Lethal Weapon 5 should reverse the pairing. With Murtaugh now retired and Riggs in a desk job, he’s placed back on the streets when he’s partnered with a fresh transfer to Homicide: a young detective with a chip on her shoulder that, rumour has it, is more than a little crazy.

Find someone that Gibson has chemistry with, who can handle fast-paced, intense action scenes and looks like she crawls into a bottle and plays Russian Roulette every night (Caity Lotz springs to mind), and Bob’s your mother’s brother. You’ve got yourself a new lease of life on a franchise that had simply gotten too old for this sh*t.