Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
LETHAL WEAPON
Mel Gibson’s 80s movie classic has been remade as an 18-part TV series, and its stars say it’s got all the action of the original – but even more heart THE TV SHOW!
Life couldn’t be sweeter for Texan policeman Martin Riggs. His wife Miranda is about to give birth to their first child and he’s just captured a gang of bad guys after stopping their Jeep with a well- placed shot from a high-powered rifle.
But then everything changes. Miranda and their unborn baby are killed in a road accident on the way to the hospital, leaving Riggs a devastated wreck. Unable to cope with his grief, he drowns his sorrows in booze – and seriously contemplates putting a bullet in his brain.
Only a call from the Los Angeles Police Department offering him the chance to transfer out there for a fresh start stops him pulling the trigger. Once there, he’s paired up with the steady, cautious officer Roger Murtaugh – and mayhem ensues.
So begins Lethal Weapon, an 18-part series on ITV based on the movie of the same name, which starred Mel Gibson as Riggs and Danny Glover as Murtaugh. It’s a tough act to follow as the film was one of the hits of the 1980s, earning more than £75m and spawning three sequels.
‘People are bound to make comparisons between the movie and our version, so we had to get it right,’ says Clayne Crawford, 38, who plays Riggs. ‘Crucially, I think, we’ve put plenty of heart into our story. By that I mean we’ve put the emphasis on the relationship between the two men. Sure, there are plenty of car chases and shootouts but we’ve also given the characters traits that I believe will have audiences rooting for them.’
Riggs is certainly a more likeable character than the one played by Mel Gibson. When the Australian played him, Riggs took out his anger by beating up suspects, while this new version uses his suicidal tendencies to put his life on the line while catching villains.
The new version of Murtaugh may also win over audiences, having battled ill health. ‘Murtaugh is back on duty after a major medical scare,’ says the actor who plays him, Damon Wayans, 56. He was in the delivery room as his wife Trish gave birth to their third child when he suffered a heart attack.
‘We catch up with him as he returns to duty with the LAPD after surgery and begins his partnership with Riggs. He’s a brave, decent man but a little frightened at how gung-ho Riggs is because such risk-taking isn’t great for his heart. But
he’s also more excited and enthused by his work than he has been for years.’
Riggs and Murtaugh get off to a rocky start – Riggs breaks every rule in the book by walking into a bank on his own and confronting three armed robbers who have taken hostages.
Such antics don’t go down too well with their boss Captain Brooks Avery, but he’s supportive of the new partners, as are LAPD pathologist Scorsese and police therapist Dr Mo Cahill, who tries to help Riggs cope with his grief.
‘I needed to play Riggs from the heart, not just as a gung-ho cop but as someone grieving, which was terrifying,’ says Clayne. ‘Playing someone who wants to be a hero and doesn’t care if he dies in the process is not necessarily to be recommended!’ Lethal Weapon, Friday, 9pm, ITV.