Empire Brings Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Richard Donner Together to Celebrate 25 Years of Buddy-Cop Carnage
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0123456789 LETHAL WEAPON REUNION Words: Nick de Semlyen Photography: Austin Hargrave EMPIRE brings Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Richard Donner together to celebrate 25 years of buddy-cop carnage 98 EMPIRE MAY 2012 empireonline.com Subscribe at www.empireonline.com/sub MAY 2012 EMPIRE 99 LETHAL WEAPON REUNION ID WE TRASH THIS ONE? I’M Weapon reboot recently announced by Warner or whatever you had. CERTAIN WE TRASHED THIS one.” Bros., the timing’s perfect for a sit-down with the GIBSON: Roofalo. It’s what happens when your RICHARD DONNER, DIRECTOR OF trio who made it all happen. That is, if we can get roof caves in. ALL FOUR LETHAL WEAPON FILMS, Gibson to give a straight answer. DONNER: This guy’s jokes! I haven’t heard that one IS STANDING IN A HOLLYWOOD for a while. Dparking lot, appraising a sleek, black Oldsmobile Twenty-five years on, why are people still talking about Delta 88 — an exact replica of the hero car from Lethal Weapon? Richard, Lethal Weapon was your first action movie. Why the first movie, tracked down by Empire for our GIBSON: ’Cause you asked us to? pick that story to tell? 25th anniversary photo shoot. But before Donner DONNER: Wise-ass! Twenty-five years? Boy, DONNER: Because of the characters. They evolved. can recall the fate of the original sedan, a tiny that’s amazing. They had depth. It wasn’t just gratuitous violence. white Smart car zips into the lot. At the wheel, GLOVER: I was a young man... GIBSON: Although there was plenty of that. astonishingly, is Mel Gibson. As he emerges, DONNER: Really, it’s the relationship between these DONNER: But it was made for a reason. The other clutching a bundle of clothes he’s brought for two crazies. You don’t find it in real life very action scripts I was sent were all car crashes and the occasion — including Riggs’ leather jacket often, much less on the screen. But it works. shrapnel. This one was different. As a matter of “We’re a dysfunctional from Lethal Weapon 4 — the ever-sardonic People care about them. fact, we were going to kill him (points at Gibson) Donner remarks, “Mel, you’ve really got to GIBSON: And it’s been emulated so much and in the third act. But we slowly realised that maybe family, I guess you get an apartment.” referred to so often. Who’s that English guy there was a series in this. There’s no sign of Danny Glover, prompting with red hair? He did this thing — Hot Fuzz. GLOVER: Wow, I didn’t know that. MEL GIBSON fears he might be too old for this shoot. GIBSON: We were always teetering on the brink of could say.” Fortunately, though, a limo soon arrives bearing Simon Pegg? bumping Riggs off. We came very close to doing the star, who has made the trip from his San GIBSON: Yeah. (To the others) Did you ever see it in the second one. Francisco home, bringing along his brother, Hot Fuzz? It’s like a homage to ’80s buddy-cop DONNER: You’re so good in that scene where you Martin, and San Francisco 49ers linebacker movies, and it’s really funny. get shot on the boat. With Eric Clapton singing Patrick Willis. Within seconds, Glover and Gibson DONNER: What’s it called? (To Empire) Write it Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. are making each other howl with laughter — down for me. GIBSON: I love that song. there’s ribald joking, mockery, even a bit of barking GIBSON: My kids went nuts for that film. But Lethal from the latter. Actual barking. Like a dog. Weapon started this whole thing. Action films In 1986, Shane Black’s script was one of the hottest in “God, I’ve missed this,” beams Donner, the man during the ’70s and early ’80s, they were all a little Hollywood. How many other directors were after it, and responsible for pairing them up in the first place. two-dimensional. The heroes would grunt; they is it true Leonard Nimoy was in the running? The Lethal Weapons are the definitive buddy- wouldn’t express themselves much. But Riggs and DONNER: Mark Canton at Warners gave it to me. cop movies, lavishly stuffed with wild action and Murtaugh were real characters. Even though the I know nothing about its previous history. big laughs. Together, homicide detectives Riggs pitch was: “Put the two unlikeliest guys together GIBSON: I did glimpse a guy walking around (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) have survived — they don’t like each other, but by the end of the the studio lot with the script and sharp ears. exploding toilets, killer surfboards, nefarious movie they’re friends!” I actually saw him put the Vulcan death South Africans and a front-lawn jujitsu duel with GLOVER: It’s the humour, mixed with the action and squeeze on Joel Silver. Gary Busey, not to mention hours of action jazz. the special effects. All that came together at that DONNER: You know, William Shatner’s But the real reason for the franchise’s near billion- particular time. And the chemistry between the doing a one-man show at the moment. dollar success is chemistry. A screen friendship two of us was undeniable. I’ve got to go see him — he’s just an Facing page (l-r): Mel Gibson that turned into a real one, Gibson and Glover DONNER: I deserve the credit for that. It was really amazing guy. in Lethal Weapon; Richard made two potentially silly characters — a Three great editing. Donner behind his own (ahem) ‘lethal weapon’, Stooges-loving, black-belted loon; a buttoned-up, And Shatner played the villain in the Lethal Weapon making the second film; Larks prissy family man — not only lovable but iconic. You’ve known each other so long, do you feel like family now? spoof, Loaded Weapon 1... aplenty in Lethal Weapon 4. And Donner kept the series on course, even as it DONNER: Hell no! GIBSON: With Samuel L. Jackson, right? transformed from dark thriller to wacky comedy, GIBSON: Which is family. “Get the fuck away GLOVER: Oh yeah! picking up Joe Pesci along the way. from me!” Isn’t that most families? We’re DONNER: What is it? Bruce Willis, who also pops up in Loaded Weapon, was discussed him?” And I think you were still in Australia. realise how intolerant I was. Because the script Since its birth in 1987, the series has become a dysfunctional one, I guess you could say. GIBSON: You haven’t seen Loaded Weapon? for the role of Riggs. How did you end up finding these guys? GIBSON: Yeah, I was down there. didn’t say Murtaugh was black. It just said, a cultural touchstone. There’s been a Sesame DONNER: We’ve gone through four of Danny’s The whole thing is a spoof of our movies. DONNER: I looked under a rock. DONNER: Because I called you on the phone and one “Roger Murtaugh — going on 50.” Marion said Street skit, a feature-length spoof (National marriages. Five of his... DONNER: No, no. Why do I miss these things? GIBSON: You looked under Iraq? Did you find oil? of your wives said, “He’s out mucking the cattle.” to me, “Did you see Color Purple? What about Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1), a dedicated GIBSON: And he cut all my cattle in half. (To Empire) Add it to the list. DONNER: We went down to the unemployment GLOVER: Mucking! Danny Glover?” And my first reaction was, “But episode of How I Met Your Mother (“I’m too DONNER: (To Glover) Remember when we went GIBSON: If something works and people are agency and there they were. No, here’s what GIBSON: “Hold still, Bessy! Hold still!” he’s black!” And then I thought, “Whoa, fuck, old for this stuff!”). On the downside, it’s also down to his ranch? sending it up and knocking it off, you’ve happened: Marion Dougherty, in our first casting DONNER: I tell you, they talk funny down there. So here’s Mr. Liberal. What a brilliant idea...” I felt responsible for Cop Out. So, with a Lethal GLOVER: I remember all the beefalo, or buffalo, got to be flattered. session, mentioned Gibson. I said, “Can we get I sent him the script. As for Danny, he made me stupid. It changed my way of thinking. Anyway, 100 EMPIRE MAY 2012 empireonline.com Subscribe at www.empireonline.com/sub MAY 2012 EMPIRE 101 LETHAL WEAPON REUNION Danny was in a play in Chicago... The crew had broken already, but we got VIEWING GUIDE: VIEWING GUIDE: GLOVER: I flew out Monday night, got everybody back and did it. The camera LETHAL WEAPON (1987)* LETHAL WEAPON 2 here about midnight. We read together operator was sitting on the dolly, crying his * Director’s Cut (1989)* and then we had bangers at your house eyes out. The camera’s shaking and I’m * Director’s Cut at 3.30 in the morning. crying too. And then Mel started hitting CHAPTER 3, 00:05:09 DONNER: Right. himself on the head with the gun. I was SAX! First time ever. CHAPTER 1, 00:00:01 GIBSON: Dick’s bangers are legendary. worried about him, but I let him go. VEHICULAR MAYHEM Car-vs.-caravan explosion. GIBSON: It really helps to wait until just after CHAPTER 4, 00:12:55 Bangers? post-testicular surgery to do a scene like RIGGS KILLS A sniper. CHAPTER 1, 00:03:22 GIBSON: Sausages.