Lethal Weapon 5 or The Passion of the Christ: Which Sequel Is Mel Gibson Directing First? Find Out HERE
Mel Gibson’s upcoming plans include directing two significant films: Lethal Weapon 5 and The Passion of the Christ sequel. Recently, in an interview, he stated that his directorial ambitions are still in knots as there are quite a lot of barriers and paperwork hindering the films from taking off the ground. Gibson also reflected on which one of these highly anticipated sequels he would like to bring to life first.
When talking about his plans with ComicBook, Gibson said that guessing which project will be at the front is a sort of ‘crapshoot’ as there are a lot of factors that impede the process. He doesn’t really know which sequel will arrive first.
He told the outlet, “I mean, there’s various obstacles to getting any film up on its feet, and not just budgetary, but there’s like, there’s 1,000,001 reasons why something goes and why it doesn’t. So it’s really kind of a crapshoot at this point what goes first and which came first, whether it’s the chicken or the egg.”
Back in 2021, the Braveheart actor announced his wish to participate in directing and writing the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 5. He also informed that he was replacing the deceased Richard Donner, who previously developed the plot for the fifth installment of his hit franchise before his death.
Gibson spoke on Steven Olexy’s podcast about the project and said that Donner left it up to him to take it forward, which he termed a privilege. He added that the movie would touch on some rather “hard issues,” but at the same time, the typical humor of the franchise would not be lost. Donner had originally helmed Lethal Weapon, starring Gibson and Danny Glover, and four of its sequels before passing away in 2021.
Furthermore, the What Women Want star is also slated to helm the follow-up to his own film, the 2004 biblical movie The Passion of the Christ, which will revolve around the resurrection. The original film that Gibson directed, co-wrote, and co-produced depicted the last twelve hours of Jesus’s life and became a cult classic.
It first came out in 2004, generating 600 million USD and becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie at the box office until Deadpool & Wolverine, as per Comicbook. While it mostly generated positive reviews, the movie also received negative criticism, mostly due to its extreme violence and dark themes. Despite the hindrances, Mel Gibson is still committed to directing both the sequels Lethal Weapon 5 and The Passion of the Christ.
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