Casting

While Shane Black wanted William Hurt for the role of Martin Riggs, the studio and Richard Donner were no so keen.

After whittling it down to two candidates - Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson - the Warner Bros. Allowed the director to give the part to the latter, as he admitted he had always wanted to work with the actor.

As for the role of Martin’s partner, Roger Murtaugh attended a script reading with Mel after his name was thrown in the ring by casting director Marion Dougherty.

According to Richard, it was immediately obvious the actor was the perfect fit for the role, as the duo’s script read was “total dynamite”.