‘Lethal Weapon’: Clayne Crawford Had Doubts About Doing The Fox Series

Clayne Crawford originally thought that making a TV series based on the classic film “Lethal Weapon” was not a good idea.

In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Crawford — who now plays Martin Riggs on Fox’s TV adaptation of the movie — said that he initially turned down the role because he thought that adapting the film was a “stupid idea.” “I even told my agents, ‘Well, someone’s going to make a lot of money, but it ain’t going to me. It’s just not for me,’” the actor shared. “[So] I could not be more grateful that I changed my mind.”

Part of the reason Crawford had a change of heart was his realization that showrunner Matt Miller wanted to do the show, and was not merely assigned to do it. “Miller asked to do ‘Lethal Weapon.’ He wanted it, right? So that’s different, as opposed to somebody going, ‘Hey, go turn Howard the Duck into a TV series,’ and the writer thinking, ‘Ah, I hated that movie,’” Crawford explained. “He wanted to do it. He was such a fan, and because he was a fan, he didn’t want to be disrespectful in any way. He wanted to make sure that he did it some kind of justice.”

As previously reported, casting the role of Riggs — which was famously played by Mel Gibson in the original film franchise — was difficult. “It was incredibly hard to cast this role because Mel Gibson played it so iconically,” Miller told Screener last December. “We looked in Los Angeles, New York, Canada, England, Australia … We looked everywhere and most people came in … doing — whether it was conscious or not — a poor man’s Mel Gibson. They were doing a Mel Gibson imitation, even if they didn’t want to.”

“Then Clayne came in,” the exec producer continued. “He’s from Alabama so he’s got this light southern twang… He’s just got this different presence and a different way of approaching things.”

Miller and his fellow producers, however, needed the help of Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden to encourage Crawford reconsider the role after initially declining to do the part. “I was not in a place to read anything new,” Crawford told The Hollywood Reporter last September of why he passed on the TV series at first. “I wasn’t interested in a remake.”

But after the executive producers assured him that they’re not doing a remake of the film franchise, Crawford ultimately said yes.

“Lethal Weapon” Season 2 premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox.