60 Fun Facts About Lethal Weapon

Who directed all four Lethal Weapon films?

Donner had just made Ladyhawke and had long wanted to work with Mel Gibson; the two ended up making six films together.

Who wrote the original Lethal Weapon screenplay?

Black was a recent UCLA graduate who wrote it in mid-1985 as what he called an 'urban Western' inspired by Dirty Harry.

In which year was the first Lethal Weapon released?

It opened on 6 March and spent its first three weekends at number one, ahead of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and Platoon.

What is the first name of Mel Gibson's character, Riggs?

Riggs is a former Special Forces soldier turned LAPD narcotics sergeant who is suicidal after the death of his wife.

What is Roger Murtaugh's rank in the LAPD in the first film?

Both partners hold the rank of sergeant, Riggs in narcotics and Murtaugh in homicide, and Murtaugh is turning 50 as the film opens.

During which holiday season is the first Lethal Weapon set?

Writer Shane Black has used Christmas as a backdrop again and again, from The Long Kiss Goodnight to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3.

Which song plays over the opening credits of the first Lethal Weapon?

The Bobby Helms recording opens a film that ends with Riggs eating Christmas dinner at the Murtaugh house.

Who plays the villainous Mr. Joshua in the first film?

Busey asked to read for the part after years without auditioning and later credited the role with reviving his career.

What is the name of the drug-smuggling operation of ex-CIA mercenaries in the first Lethal Weapon?

It began as a CIA paramilitary unit in Vietnam and was reformed after the war as a heroin ring under General McAllister.

What gift does Riggs give Murtaugh at the end of the first film?

It is the round he had been saving to kill himself, and handing it over signals he no longer needs it.

Which actor turned down the role of Riggs because he found the script 'too violent'?

The refusal is spoofed in Loaded Weapon 1, where Willis turns up as John McClane after the villains attack the wrong beach house.

Which Star Trek actor was considered to direct the first Lethal Weapon but was busy with Three Men and a Baby?

Nimoy also did not feel comfortable making an action film, and the job went to Richard Donner.

Who composed the score for the Lethal Weapon films?

Kamen had just finished Highlander and got the job because the editor had temp-tracked the film with his Edge of Darkness music.

Which guitarist performs Riggs's theme in the Lethal Weapon scores?

Murtaugh, by contrast, is represented by David Sanborn's saxophone, and Chris Rock's Lee Butters later gets a harmonica.

Roughly how much did the first Lethal Weapon gross worldwide?

Made for about $15 million, it finished as the eighth-highest-grossing film of 1987 in North America.

The first Lethal Weapon earned its only Academy Award nomination in which category?

It lost to The Last Emperor, which swept nine awards that night.

Which martial art did Rorion Gracie teach Mel Gibson and the actor playing Mr. Joshua for the first film?

The film mixed three styles: capoeira, jailhouse rock and BJJ, so that Riggs's fighting would look like nothing seen on screen before.

Who plays Murtaugh's wife Trish in the films?

The singer of 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' plays Trish in all four films.

Which actor did Donner want for Riggs after seeing The Terminator, only to find him committed to Aliens?

Christopher Lambert and Christopher Reeve were also approached and neither was interested.

How much did Warner Bros. pay for the original Lethal Weapon spec script in 1985?

Black wrote it in about six weeks; seven years later he set a record by getting $4 million for The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Which character debuts in Lethal Weapon 2 as a federal witness under Riggs and Murtaugh's care?

The neurotic money launderer had one scene in Shane Black's rejected draft but became a regular for the rest of the series.

The villains of Lethal Weapon 2 are diplomats from which country?

Their smuggled gold comes in the form of Krugerrands, and Riggs even romances the consul-general's secretary.

What legal shield do the villains of Lethal Weapon 2 hide behind?

Murtaugh's final line to Rudd is that it has 'just been revoked'.

Who plays Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon films?

For the fourth film he was paid $1 million for three weeks of work, which forced yet another round of rewrites.

What was the title of the rejected first draft of the second film, co-written with novelist Warren Murphy?

It was rejected as too dark, partly because Riggs died at the end; Black later reused the title for a 2025 film he directed.

Where does the climax of Lethal Weapon 2 take place?

The ship is the Alba Varden; the stilt house is destroyed earlier, the one scene kept from Shane Black's draft.

Which weapon does Murtaugh use to kill two assassins in his home in Lethal Weapon 2?

He is renovating the house at the time, and Leo Getz is abducted in the same attack.

Who plays Rika van den Haas, Riggs's love interest in Lethal Weapon 2?

Kensit also sings on the soundtrack with her band Eighth Wonder; Rika was originally written to survive to a Thanksgiving dinner scene.

In Lethal Weapon 2, what does the villain Vorstedt confess after capturing Riggs?

Her death was a botched attempt on Riggs himself, which turns the case into a personal vendetta.

Which ex-Beatle contributed the song 'Cheer Down' to the Lethal Weapon 2 soundtrack?

The album also has The Beach Boys' 'Still Cruisin'' and a version of 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' by Randy Crawford, Clapton and Sanborn.

Lethal Weapon 2 finished third in 1989's North American box office behind Batman and what?

It earned about $147 million domestically and $228 million worldwide, but the third film would top even that.

Which screenwriter rewrote Lethal Weapon 2 into its final form and then wrote Lethal Weapon 3?

Boam also wrote Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Lost Boys, and did uncredited humor rewrites on the first film.

Who plays Internal Affairs officer Lorna Cole, introduced in Lethal Weapon 3?

In early drafts the character was a man; Donner insisted on making Lorna a woman and Riggs's girlfriend.

The villain of Lethal Weapon 3, Jack Travis, is a former what?

He uses his old police credentials to walk into an interrogation room and kill a suspect in custody.

In Lethal Weapon 3, how long is Murtaugh from retirement when the story begins?

He ends the film deciding not to sell the house and to stay on the force, keeping the partnership alive.

The building blown up in the opening scene of Lethal Weapon 3 was the former City Hall of which city?

Warner Bros. paid $500,000 towards the demolition, and the city's mayor plays the cop who sarcastically applauds afterward.

Which NHL team's home game was used to film the hockey scene in Lethal Weapon 3?

Goalie Kelly Hrudey got annoyed by the film lights and asked the crew to stop; the chase onto the ice was shot after a practice instead.

Which singer co-wrote and performed 'It's Probably Me' for the Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack?

Elton John and Clapton did the other single, 'Runaway Train', for the same soundtrack.

Which Star Wars actress worked as an uncredited script doctor on Lethal Weapon 3?

Fisher was one of Hollywood's most in-demand script doctors through the 1990s.

Which entry in the series is the highest-grossing worldwide?

It took about $320 million and set a May opening-weekend record that stood until Twister in 1996.

What did Warner Bros. chief Robert Daly buy for the stars and filmmakers after Lethal Weapon 3's success?

Daly defended the $320,000 spend by saying it got the studio Lethal Weapon 4, which made $285 million.

Which martial-arts star made his international film debut as the villain of Lethal Weapon 4?

Li plays Triad negotiator Wah Sing Ku, and critics said his arrival breathed fresh life into the formula.

Which comedian plays Detective Lee Butters in Lethal Weapon 4?

Butters was originally written as gay, then rewritten during filming as the secret father of Rianne's baby.

The criminals in Lethal Weapon 4 are smuggling immigrants from which country?

The Triads' real scheme is a counterfeiting operation to buy the release of the 'Four Fathers' from a corrupt general.

Who officiates the marriage of Riggs and Lorna at the hospital at the end of Lethal Weapon 4?

Both Lorna and Rianne give birth in the same sequence, and Murtaugh accepts Butters as his son-in-law.

In which year was Lethal Weapon 4 released?

Shooting only began that January with half a script, and the ending was not written until it was time to film it.

Which instrument represents Detective Lee Butters in the Lethal Weapon 4 score?

Riggs has always been a guitar and Murtaugh a saxophone, so the newcomer got his own voice.

Which cast member of Lethal Weapon 4 received a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor?

Reviews were mixed overall, with Roger Ebert giving the film two stars and calling it 'an exercise'.

On which network did the Lethal Weapon television reboot air from 2016 to 2019?

It ran three seasons, with Clayne Crawford fired after season two and Riggs killed off.

Who played Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon TV series?

His Murtaugh returns to the force after recovering from a heart attack and lives in Sherman Oaks.

Which actor joined the TV series in season three as Riggs's replacement, Wesley Cole?

Cole is a former CIA officer, and the character borrows from both Lorna Cole and Lee Butters of the films.

Who plays Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon TV series?

The TV Leo is an ambulance-chasing lawyer rather than the films' crooked accountant.

Which producer, later famous for Die Hard and The Matrix, produced the Lethal Weapon films?

Silver worked with Black on developing the script after Warner executive Mark Canton picked it out of the pile.

Steve Kahan, who plays Captain Ed Murphy in all four films, is a cousin of which member of the production?

Donner also cast Kahan as a policeman tracking Lex Luthor in Superman.

What was the working title Donner announced in 2018 for the long-planned fifth film?

Donner meant it to be the last film he directed; after his death in 2021 Gibson said he would direct it himself to honor him.

Which 1987 film gave the franchise's original screenwriter his best-known acting role, as Hawkins?

Black asked Joel Silver for the part during Lethal Weapon rewrites and also did uncredited script work on the film.

Which longer version of the first film was released on DVD in 2000?

It runs 117 minutes against 110 and adds a scene where Riggs takes a prostitute home just to watch The Three Stooges.

Which saxophonist performs Murtaugh's theme in the first Lethal Weapon score?

The film pairs Clapton's guitar for Riggs with Sanborn's sax for Murtaugh.

Which Time critic summed up the first Lethal Weapon as 'Mad Max meets the Cosby Show'?

Ebert, by contrast, gave the film four stars out of four.

In the first film, Shadow Company forces Murtaugh to meet them at which desert location?

Riggs provides sniper cover there, but all three are captured and taken to a Hollywood Boulevard nightclub.