Danny Glover has given an update on the status of the upcoming Lethal Weapon 5, which was announced in January to be in development.

In a new interview with Variety, Glover said that he has read the plot and has been in conversation about the Lethal Weapon sequel in January. He also said that the the plot “had very strong relevance to some of [the] things that are happening today.”

“…I can only tell you, if it does happen, there is something extraordinary in it,” he said. “If Lethal Weapon gives us some sort of contribution to understanding a little bit more…It would be interesting to do. It would be interesting to see how we take this within the political framework we are in; the economic framework that we are in. And especially that framework as opposed to the communities that have been affected by the kind of police violence, the kind of police standards, and the power that they exert as well.”

Seeing how Mel Gibson’s character, Martin Riggs, has the defining characteristic of being a “loose cannon” who goes against the rulebook to get criminals off the streets, it would be fascinating to see this franchise in particular take on its own place in the kaleidoscope of police violence in the media.

Glover also talked more about how America’s current social climate presents a moment for Americans to understand the history of violence against Black Americans. He said how America doesn’t “know what’s going to happen in this particular moment,” adding that the resources being allocated and the decisions being made right now “are going to be numerous.” But, he said, the unseen violence that occurs against Black Americans, such as economic inequality, racism in the health care industry and more, is part of the actual violence perpetuated by police against Black Americans.

“It’s the last line of defense for white supremacy,” he said. “That’s what the police represents. They don’t protect African Americans. You can make the argument that the institutional violence has its roots in so many ways. The violence that we see now that is acted out on the physical body of George Floyd has been the kind of violence that i engrained within the American idea of its culture, in its own subtlety, since the first Africans were brought here. So it’s 400 years of violence. It’s not just now!”

Glover also talked about how the image of the Black American has changed in Hollywood over time, but “a democratization of what I call cultural production” will help Hollywood change even more.

“Cultural production looks at: how do people life? How do we understand each other? What are the elements that bring us together and form the whole idea of the responsibilities that we have to each other as human beings? How do those kinds of stories evolve?” he said. “…I think there has to be some sort of sound way, because we can’t go back to just anything…In terms of saying: we are going back to the past. We can’t go back.”

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‘Lethal Weapon 5’ Is In Development At Warner Bros.

Photo credit: Warner Bros.