Have Behind The Scenes Politics Scuttled LETHAL WEAPON 5??

Merrick here...
As recently as last week, word was LETHAL WEAPON 5 was being "fast tracked" by Warners, that producer Joel Silver was actively hustling to bring the film together, blah blah blah. More information about these reports can be found HERE. What a difference a week makes. In today's L.A. Times, director Richard Donner (who evidently was not involved with the theoretical LW5) says that the return of Riggs & Murtaugh may well have jumped the fast track completely.

"Mel turned it down," Donner said. "I would like to think that Mel turned it down because I wasn't involved. Knowing Mel, I would like to think that. Would that be the kind of thing he does? It sure would be." [SNIP] "Joel Silver tried to ace me out of it. He tried to put it together but made sure he didn't do it until my contract was up. You know, it's typical of the man. A guy who wasn't even around at the beginning when we started on the first one. He came in late."

...says Donner in L.A. Times piece, which goes on to discuss Donner's preferred angle for the SUPERMAN franchise.