The upcoming Lethal Weapon television series cast one half of its leading duo last month, with Damon Wayans now set to play Los Angeles Police Department Detective Roger Murtaugh in the small-screen adaptation of the hit movie franchise, and now the project appears to have found the other, crazier half of the show’s odd-couple crimefighters in Rectify actor Clayne Crawford (pictured).
Crawford will play LAPD Detective Martin Riggs in the Fox series — the role famously portrayed by Mel Gibson in the original 1987 movie and all three sequels that it spawned. Wayans is taking on the role originally played by Danny Glover throughout the franchise. Joining Crawford and Wayans in the series is Fast and Furious franchise actress Jordana Brewster, who was recently cast in the role of hostage negotiator Maureen “Mo” Cahill.
The Lethal Weapon series is expected to adhere to the general premise of the movie franchise, pairing the loose-cannon Riggs with the more cautious Murtaugh. With the latter recovering from a recent heart attack, the arrival of Riggs on the scene threatens Murtaugh’s hopes for a stress-free life.
The pilot episode for the series is being penned by Forever and Chuck writer Matt Miller, who will also serve as an executive producer on the show. The creators of the original movie franchise, director Richard Donner and writer Shane Black, are not involved with the project.
Crawford, who played recurring characters on the TV series 24 and Rogue, can currently be seen in SundanceTV’s hit series Rectify, which is about to kick off its fourth and final season.
Over the course of four films, the Lethal Weapon franchise earned more than $487.6 million in U.S. theaters and $955.2 million worldwide. All four films, which were released between 1987 and 1998, were directed by Donner.
At this point, its unknown when Fox plans to begin production on Lethal Weapon.
