The dynamic duo of Riggs and Murtagh from the hitLethal Weaponmovies are coming to the small screen, and now we know who is playing both roles. One month afterDamon Wayans Sr.signed on to playRoger Murtaugh,Deadlinereports thatClayne Crawfordhas landed the role of Martin Riggs. The pilot was given the green light followingDamon Wayans Sr.’s casting.
The pilot will be based on theLethal Weaponmovie series, which starredMel Gibsonas the maverick Martin Riggs andDanny Gloveras his rule-abiding partner, Roger Murtaugh. The hour-long series is expected to follow the same general plot as the movies, but there will be a few differences with the maincharacters. In the series, Riggs is a Texas cop and former Navy SEAL who moves to L.A. to start fresh, after suffering the tragic loss of his wife and baby.
Riggs then joins the LAPD, where he gets partnered with LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans Sr.). Murtaugh recently suffered a “minor” heart attack, and therefore must avoid any stress in his life. The originalLethal Weaponmovie followed these cops as they paired up to take down a drug ring, but it isn’t known who the main villains in theTV seriesmay be. The original 1987 movie spawned three sequels, with all four movies taking over $950 million at the box office.
Matthew Miller, who served as an executive producer onChuckand most recently created the ABC drama Forever, wrote the pilot script and will executive produce through his Good Sessions company that is based at Warner Bros. Television. Lin Pictures’Dan Linand Jennifer Gwartz are also serving as executive producers. An earlier report revealed that none of the originalLethal Weaponfilmmakers or producers will be involved in the TV series, but they have reportedly given their blessing for the series to move forward.
Clayne Crawford is best known for his role as Ted Talbot Jr. on SundanceTV’s Rectify, which is wrapping up its four-season run. TheLethal Weaponpilot joins a slew of other movie adaptations that are in the works. Fox is also developing aTV versionofThe Exorcist, although they recently passed on the pilot for a modern-dayUrban Cowboyseries. CBS is developing a TV version of the gritty crime dramaTraining Day, along with a new Nancy Drew series. NBC is developing a continuation ofCruel Intentions, and aTakenprequel series.
