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Lethal Weapon - Black's "killer ninja" first draft from 1985.

posted 8 years ago by Nick7080
10 replies | jump to latest

Some time ago i posted a topic about Shane Black's infamous original draft of Lethal Weapon 2, asking for help with finding out any info about it or even some way to find a copy of the script. While still looking for anything about that script, i was reminded on Black's comments about his very first draft of first Lethal Weapon.

For those of you who don't know about it, here's some info about it from Trivia;

Shane Black's first draft of Lethal Weapon which he wrote sometime in 1985 was very different, not just from his later drafts but also from the final movie. This first draft was 141 pages long and it had alternate plot parts, character scenes, action sequences and many other differences, like entire ending which had big chase scene including helicopters and a trailer truck full of cocaine which explodes over Hollywood Hills causing for cocaine to start snowing over Hollywood sign. Riggs was also much different character in this first draft than he is in the movie. Black at first thought that this draft (which was one of his first scripts) sucks so he threw it in the garbage but later changed his mind and re-worked it into the new drafts. For the longest time, Black was the only one who had copy of his first draft until he sold it on auction. This draft still remains some of his most wanted work amongst fans.
Going from info i read and heard from other fans of the LW films and Black, this script still exists but the person who has it (and who has probably bought it from Black) didn't do anything about sharing it with other fans or at least make like a scan of it and upload it online.

Other info i heard is how some parts of this script were later re-used by Black in his other scripts. The scene in The Last Boy Scout where Joe kills a guy by punching his nose into the brain was apparently in that first Lethal Weapon script, and action scene which includes some huge vehicle full of cocaine blowing up and cocaine snowing over L.A was also in his rejected script for Lethal Weapon 2 (in the LW script it was a trailer truck, while in LW 2 script it was a plane).

And probably most interesting bits of rumors amongst the fans about Black's first draft of Lethal Weapon is how Riggs died in the ending, and how apparently in this script Riggs was some kind of killer ninja. Here's some message boards i found where fans talked about it;

http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=41452
"and wasn't his very first draft of Lethal 1 more dark, making Riggs a ninja-obsessed freak or something too?"

http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=57159&page=2
"I am sure Shane's infamous "killing off Riggs" draft of Lethal Weapon 2 is at the Margaret Herrick script library in LA isn't it? Plus his "killer ninjas" first draft of Lethal 1..."

A guy who claims he has copy of this draft and he too says that in this draft Riggs is a ninja;
https://twitter.com/hashtag/alwaysberewriting

So, if anyone knows more about this script or knows a way to get it and share with rest of the fans, or just wants to share their thoughts about all this, go right ahead.

Speaking as someone who read couple of different drafts of first Lethal Weapon and Black's first script Shadow Company, i'm pretty sure that his first draft of LW was not that bad, but of course, i would have to read it first to say that for sure.

[–] LTUM (997) 5 years ago

Some time ago i posted a topic about Shane Black's infamous original draft of Lethal Weapon 2, asking for help with finding out any info about it or even some way to find a copy of the script. While still looking for anything about that script, i was reminded on Black's comments about his very first draft of first Lethal Weapon.

For those of you who don't know about it, here's some info about it from Trivia;

Shane Black's first draft of Lethal Weapon which he wrote sometime in 1985 was very different, not just from his later drafts but also from the final movie. This first draft was 141 pages long and it had alternate plot parts, character scenes, action sequences and many other differences, like entire ending which had big chase scene including helicopters and a trailer truck full of cocaine which explodes over Hollywood Hills causing for cocaine to start snowing over Hollywood sign. Riggs was also much different character in this first draft than he is in the movie. Black at first thought that this draft (which was one of his first scripts) sucks so he threw it in the garbage but later changed his mind and re-worked it into the new drafts. For the longest time, Black was the only one who had copy of his first draft until he sold it on auction. This draft still remains some of his most wanted work amongst fans.
Going from info i read and heard from other fans of the LW films and Black, this script still exists but the person who has it (and who has probably bought it from Black) didn't do anything about sharing it with other fans or at least make like a scan of it and upload it online.

Other info i heard is how some parts of this script were later re-used by Black in his other scripts. The scene in The Last Boy Scout where Joe kills a guy by punching his nose into the brain was apparently in that first Lethal Weapon script, and action scene which includes some huge vehicle full of cocaine blowing up and cocaine snowing over L.A was also in his rejected script for Lethal Weapon 2 (in the LW script it was a trailer truck, while in LW 2 script it was a plane).

And probably most interesting bits of rumors amongst the fans about Black's first draft of Lethal Weapon is how Riggs died in the ending, and how apparently in this script Riggs was some kind of killer ninja. Here's some message boards i found where fans talked about it;

http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=41452
"and wasn't his very first draft of Lethal 1 more dark, making Riggs a ninja-obsessed freak or something too?"

http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=57159&page=2
"I am sure Shane's infamous "killing off Riggs" draft of Lethal Weapon 2 is at the Margaret Herrick script library in LA isn't it? Plus his "killer ninjas" first draft of Lethal 1..."

A guy who claims he has copy of this draft and he too says that in this draft Riggs is a ninja;
https://twitter.com/hashtag/alwaysberewriting

So, if anyone knows more about this script or knows a way to get it and share with rest of the fans, or just wants to share their thoughts about all this, go right ahead.

Speaking as someone who read couple of different drafts of first Lethal Weapon and Black's first script Shadow Company, i'm pretty sure that his first draft of LW was not that bad, but of course, i would have to read it first to say that for sure.

good thread.