"Weapon" newcomer Chris Rock banters with Joe Pesci. Okay? Okay? Okay?

Web posted on: Tuesday, July 14, 1998 3:24:48 PM

From Correspondent Ron Tank

HOLLYWOOD (CNN) -- The land of movie sequels is littered with its share of flops. For proof, witness "Speed 2" or the slow destruction of "Rocky." In fact, so many sequels have failed to live up to the billing of their predecessor, it's a wonder that Hollywood executives still pony up the millions of dollars it takes to make a bad version of the original success.

Then there's the "Lethal Weapon" series, enjoying continued health via its third sequel to the original blockbuster. "Lethal Weapon 4," starring primary castmates Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, along with Rene Russo and Joe Pesci, debuted at No. 1 at the box office this past weekend, raking in over $34 million.

What makes the series a success? It could have something to do with producer Joel Silver's ability to constantly add new stars to the film's plot line. Russo and Pesci were added after the first "Lethal Weapon." And the fourth version offers two new faces: Chris Rock and Jet Li.

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Rock got to add his own brand of comedy to the movie

Rock-solid comedy

Rock, who initially gained fame on "Saturday Night Live" and later for his stand-up routine on HBO, says he was happy to be a part of the hit film series.

"They've done three of them, they made a lot of money, they made a lot of people laugh, they scared a lot of people without me, so it was really an honor just to be asked to play," Rock says.

Several scenes feature Rock at his comedic best. Rock says he was given creative leeway to exhibit his skills.

"It was like they cleared (the scene) out for me," says Rock, who considers the term "ad-libbing" mildly offensive. "I say 'rewrite' because ad-libbing is lazy. Ad-libbing's like you didn't look at the script 'til you got to the set."

Chinese veteran actor Jet Li joins the cast for his first ever bad-guy role

Good guy turned bad guy

Meanwhile, Jet Li is earning praise for his portrayal as the villain in the action-packed film.

"I played 25 movies in Hong Kong and I always played a hero," Li says. "This is the first American movie, the first time I played a villain."

The "Lethal Weapon" series already has been popular internationally but the addition of Li could open the Asian market even further to include China, which Li says shows just 10 U.S. films a year.

"I think the China market is not 100 percent open now," Li says. "We need to change. We tell them many times, we need to change, to open the whole market."

"'Lethal Weapon 5'? Ahhhhhh!"

'Lethal Weapon 5?'

So, with the success of the latest "Lethal Weapon" and the addition of new characters to the plot, is "Lethal Weapon 5" on the drawing board?

"If the audience wants to see a '5,' we'll do a '5,'" producer Silver says.

Meanwhile, fans of the series are hoping the latest "Lethal Weapon" doesn't go the way of so many other sequels-turned-flops.