Lethal Weapon Behind The Scenes

"Lethal Weapon" was originally scripted to have a different opening scene. In it, Riggs is sitting alone in a bar getting drunk. He finishes off one bottle of Jack Daniels and orders another, but the bartender, both concerned for and wary of Riggs, cuts him off. Riggs stumbles into the back and is accosted by two hoodlums. He tries to warn them off, but they don't listen. He ends crippling up them and the bartender is not surprised. He tells Riggs as a friend to get out. Richard Donner felt it was too dark to open the film with. He felt that with the show of violence, viewers would judge Riggs' character before they got the chance to know him. Hence, he changed Riggs' introduction to the lighter, funnier morning scene in his trailer

"Lethal Weapon" was originally intended to be a one-shot movie (no sequels). The original ending had Riggs and Murtaugh, battle-scarred but alive, saying goodbye to each other outside of police headquarters. They exchange a few kind words and Riggs drives off. But the good old movie execs, smelling big bucks franchise potential, wanted an ending that'd leave open the possibility of a sequel. So the ending with Riggs coming to Murtaugh's house for Christmas dinner was shot.

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