EXCLUSIVE: It looks like the band just might back together. Deadline hears that Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Richard Donner are all huddling on the possibility of doing another film for the the Lethal Weapon franchise. In the scenario we’ve heard Donner would direct and Channing Gibson (Lethal Weapon 4) would script. There are many moving parts, but we’ve heard that all are on board and exploring another film. It would move forward, of course, at Warner Bros., the studio that has brought audiences four in the franchise. The buddy action comedy was a major hit for the studio under the Bob Daly, Terry Semel regime when it first launched in 1987 and together the four have pulled in $955.2M worldwide. The last one was released in 1998. The film also spawned a TV series as well.

The Lethal Weapon film franchise followed an LAPD homcide cop (Glover) who is partnered with another cop who was transferred over from the narc squad (Gibson). They are reluctantly paired with very different ideas of policing and have an ongoing feud until the must rely on each other for their lives.

Believe it or not, but we're pushing twenty years since we last saw Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) in LETHAL WEAPON 4. Since the release of that film, rumblings of a fifth installment have popped up now and again, but it always seemed quite unlikely. At long last, Murtaugh and Riggs truly were too old for this shit. However, just last week there were rumours that Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Richard Donner were exploring the option of doing a fifth film at Warner Bros., and during an appearance on Spocklight: A Star Trek Podcast, Donner confirmed that not only is the project in the works, but that it's "inches away from getting the go-ahead" to do LETHAL WEAPON 5.

"It's a story I came up with Channing Gibson, the writer who wrote [Lethal Weapon] 4, and I'm just having to work it out with the studio. If everybody steps up and we all get together, we'll make it. Mel and Danny are on board. If they don't... if it doesn't work out, at least we tried. But there's a good... a better chance that you will see the movie."

The heart rate of the on-again off-again on-again ”Lethal Weapon” fifthquel (my grade-5 teacher would choke me for that one) has seemingly spiked over the past few weeks.

After WonderCon tonight, I had the chance to play catch up over Skype with a pal who works in location management on various series, including FOX’s small-screen incarnation. While he’s mostly in-the-know on the TV adaptation of the ’80s movie series, he has heard some very positive rumblings on the movie series. The FOX series recently concluded it’s third season run, and with ratings significantly down, online scuttlebutt suggested that would be it – but apparently it’s showing signs of life (“I don’t think its done“, said my contact. “As long as Wayans was in for more, they are. The net loves DW. Likely will be limited though”) as is the next film instalment.

“Gibson, Glover, Pesci doing that. Script is super solid I heard. may shoot this year. Doubt there will be overlap with TV“.

So, “Lethal Weapon 5” not only with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover but the formerly-retired Joe Pesci (who makes a return to the screen for Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”) is apparently in very good shape and will is inching before the cameras AT LONG LAST.

Being on the TV side of things, and likely not involved in the movie, there’s not much more that he knows – but it’s the first we’ve heard that they’ve finally cracked that script. Everyone from Shane Black to Channing Gibson has had a stab at it, but those previous drafts mustn’t have pleased with the committee.

The “super solid” script is likely the one director Richard Donner referred to in an interview with Movies in Focus late last year.

“I’m in the process of getting the fifth and final one written. I’ve hired a writer to deliver me a draft – as we speak.”

Donner said Gibson and Glover were “chafing at the bit” to do the movie, and Warner Bros were as equally as excited about relaunching the film series.

Our friend suggests the announcement is just around the corner on both the film and series.Be stupendous if Warner Bros announced the film at Comic-Con, towing the leads out on the Hall H stage to do the honors.

With every franchise you ever loved coming back, from THE MATRIX to BAD BOYS, prepare yourself to ride along with Riggs and Murtaugh one more time as producer Dan Lin has stated that development is progressing on LETHAL WEAPON 5!

In a recent roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter, Lin was speaking regarding THE TWO POPES when he dropped this tasy nugget about the beloved buddy cop franchise.

"We’re trying to make the last Lethal Weapon movie. And Dick Donner’s coming back," said Lin. "The original cast is coming back. And it’s just amazing. The story itself is very personal to him. Mel and Danny are ready to go, so it’s about the script."