Mel Gibson Passes on Lethal Weapon 5?

The Los Angeles Times spoke to 78-year-old Richard Donner, director and producer of all four "Lethal Weapon" movies, about the proposed Lethal Weapon 5. While Donner isn't involved with the movie, earlier this year it was reported that screenwriter Shane Black and producer Joel Silver were working on a fifth installment of the franchise. Then, last week, actor Columbus Short revealed that he is in talks to play Murtaugh's (Danny Glover) son in the film.

Here are a few of Donner's quotes: 

"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." 

"It's too bad, actually, because Channing Gibson, who wrote the fourth one, and Mike Riva, a designer on three of them, and myself and Derek [Hoffman, an associate at The Donner Company] had an incredibly strong story for the fifth movie. But we weren't given the opportunity and I think maybe I could have convinced Mel to do it. But Warners chose to go with Joel Silver." 

"Yes, the project is pretty much dead in the water unless someone had the sense to come to me."