Could this have worked as a Lethal Weapon sequel?
Don't get me wrong, I *beep* love DHWAV. I think it's the only other entry in the franchise to live up to the original by shaking up the series formula while staying true to the core concept of "ordinary cop vs. super criminals". But let's say, in some other reality, Joel Silver was successful in purchasing Hensleigh's Simon Says script from Fox back in '93, with the intention of turning it into Lethal Weapon 4. Would it have worked half as well? I actually think it could've. It would've made an interesting break from the procedural formula of the first three films, having Riggs and Murtaugh suddenly thrown into a deadly game by a mad bomber with a grudge to settle. I already kinda mapped out in my head how the Lethal Weapon version of this story would've played out.
For starters, the obvious change would've been from McClane/Zeus to Riggs/Murtaugh. The villainous Simon would perhaps have been some guy they put away looking for revenge. Other roles could easily be substituted. Insp. Cobb = Captain Murphy, Dr. Schiller = Dr Woods etc. Perhaps it could've been Murtaugh's youngest kids instead of Zeus' nephews who have their school targeted by Simon. I also would bring in Leo Getz to help with Simon's riddles, him being good with numbers as LW2 demonstrated. It would be funny to see him try to work out the St Ives riddle only to be shot down by Riggs and Murtaugh who worked out the real answer ages ago. I would then have Riggs and Lorna infiltrate Simon's boat at the end while Murtaugh tries to save his kids from getting blown up (I'd have Leo forced to tag along, getting a chance to be a hero after being Riggs and Murtaugh's chew toy for the past two movies). When Riggs and Lorna get strapped to Simon's bomb, Riggs decides to finally pop the big question to her.
It would've also have required a change of scenery from New York to LA. They could've had Riggs walk around South Central with the I Hate N****** sign (Leading to some major awkwardness with Murtaugh). Depending on whether or not they kept the "Revenge as smokescreen for major heist" plot twist, Simon and Co. could've targeted the Los Angeles Union Bank instead of the Federal Reserve.
Anyway, just my thoughts on the matter. We should be thankful that DH3 got as good a script as it did. We could've ended up with that awful "Caribbean Cruise hijacked by terrorists" script that ended up forming the basis for Speed 2. Shame the actual Lethal Weapon 4 ended up with such an unsatisfactory hodge-podge of a script.
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