Editing Lethal Weapon 3 (section)

==Production==
The movie was filmed from October 1991 to January 1992.

Richard Donner, an animal-rights and pro-choice activist, placed many posters and stickers for these causes in the film. Of note are the [[T-shirt]] worn by one of Murtaugh's daughters (the actress's idea), an 18-wheeler with an anti-fur slogan on the side, and a sticker on a locker in the police station.<ref name="fabrikant1992"/>

===Demolition scenes===
In the film's first scene, Riggs accidentally sets off a bomb that destroys the ICSI Building. The ICSI Building was actually the former City Hall building of [[Orlando, Florida]], located at the intersection of Orange Avenue and South Street in [[Downtown Orlando]]. Warner Bros. decided to use the destruction of the building in the film, and as a result paid $500,000 for the demolition.<ref name=AFI>{{AFI film|59301}}</ref> From August to October 1991, the production crew fitted the old Orlando City Hall building featured in the opening scene with carefully placed explosives to create the visual effect of a bomb explosion. [[Bill Frederick]], then mayor of Orlando, Florida, was the policeman who sarcastically claps and said "Bravo!" to Murtaugh and Riggs after the explosion.

The building was demolished so that it would collapse slightly forward (toward Orange Avenue), minimizing the chances of it damaging the [[Orlando City Hall|new City Hall]] building, built directly behind it. The space was cleared out and became a plaza for the new City Hall, with a fountain and a monument.

The film's climax scene, where an under-construction housing development is set ablaze, was filmed at an unfinished housing development in [[Lancaster, California]]. The unfinished houses, which had been sitting abandoned and slated to be torn down, were coated in flame retardant and propane gas lines to ensure that the houses could withstand re-shoots.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-10-me-368-story.html |title=Tract May End in Blaze of Film Glory : Lancaster: The city is talking to filmmakers who may want to burn down an abandoned development as part of 'Lethal Weapon III.' |author=John Chandler |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1991-12-10 |access-date=2016-07-30}}</ref> The original homes were eventually demolished and was eventually redeveloped into another housing development.

During the closing credits, Riggs and Murtaugh drive up to an old hotel where another bomb has been placed. Before they (their doubles) can exit the car, the bomb explodes and destroys the building. The hotel was actually the former Soreno Hotel in downtown [[St. Petersburg, Florida]].<ref name=TBTimes>{{cite news |url=http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/talk/content/history-implosions-tampa-bay |title=A history of implosions in Tampa Bay |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |date=2012-02-27 |access-date=2016-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223211158/http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/talk/content/history-implosions-tampa-bay |archive-date=2016-02-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The film's producers agreed to help with the cost of the 68-year-old building's implosion for the purposes of their film.<ref name=TBTimes/>

===Hockey game===
A November 26, 1991 [[National Hockey League|NHL]] game between the [[Los Angeles Kings]] and the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] at the [[Great Western Forum]] served as the basis for the [[ice hockey|hockey]] scene featured in the movie.<ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Chris |date=November 27, 1991 |title=Kings Get Tie with Help of a Replay |newspaper=[[San Pedro News-Pilot]] |location=Los Angeles |publisher=Copley Press |pages=B1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Malamud |first=Allan |date=November 28, 1991 |title=Notes on a Scorecard |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles }}</ref>
The league allowed production to capture the real-life action, although [[goaltender (ice hockey)|goaltender]] [[Kelly Hrudey]] eventually became annoyed with the additional lights used by the [[film crew|crew]] and asked filming to stop.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=November 26, 1991 | people =Miller, Bob (play by play); Fox, Jim (color commentary) | title=Toronto Maple Leafs at Los Angeles Kings |medium=sports broadcast | location=Los Angeles |publisher=[[Bally Sports West|Prime Ticket]]}}</ref>

The NHL also let Donner stage part of the scene, where Riggs commandeers the arena's [[PA system]] to lure out Jack Travis, during the game's second [[intermission]]. It was completed in two [[take]]s.<ref>{{cite news | last1 =Blowen | first1 =Michael |date=November 29, 1991 |title=Names and Faces: Mel on Ice |newspaper=Boston Globe | agency =Associated Press | location=Boston |publisher=Affiliated Publications}}</ref> However, the director was not allowed to film the segment where Riggs chases down Travis onto the [[ice rink|ice]] that evening. It was completed after a Kings practice. In closer shots, these sequences used [[extra (film)|extras]] dressed in unlicensed [[hockey jersey|jerseys]] that only roughly resemble those worn by the actual teams. A contemporary [[Associated Press|AP]] report cites ''Lethal Weapon'''s excessive violence as the reason why the NHL limited its collaboration.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 1, 1992 |title=Names and Games: Not That Violent |newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |location=Pittsburgh |publisher=[[E.W. Scripps Company]] |page=D2}}</ref> However, the organization took a relaxed stance towards the more intense ''[[Sudden Death (1995 film)|Sudden Death]]'' a few years later.<ref name="comic">{{cite web | url =https://www.comicon.com/2018/12/07/lethal-weapon-3-8-asks-what-the-puck/ | title =Lethal Weapon 3.8 Asks, 'What The Puck?' | last1 =Martin | first1 =Ben | date =December 7, 2018 | website =comicon.com | access-date =31 December 2022}}</ref> The Los Angeles Kings later featured in a season three episode of the [[Lethal Weapon (TV series)|''Lethal Weapon'' TV series]], entitled "[[List of Lethal Weapon episodes|What The Puck?]]".<ref name="comic"/>

===Writing===
[[Jeffrey Boam]]'s first two drafts of the script were different from the final film. The character of Lorna for example was not a woman in original drafts, but the original character still had the same personality and was just as lethal and crazy as Riggs, making him his match. Riggs also had an affair with Roger's daughter Rianne, and a few parts in the final film where Roger suspects that Riggs and Rianne are interested in each other are only parts left from the original drafts.

Director [[Richard Donner]] demanded some big changes on the script which included changing the original character of Lorna (who had a different name in earlier drafts) into a woman and turning her into Riggs's girlfriend. He also re-worked the script to be less story-oriented and not focus on the main villains but instead on the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. He also toned down action scenes from the script and brought back Leo Getz into the story. All of his scenes were written in afterwards. In the original script Leo had left L.A. for New York. Boam had some disagreements with changes that Donner made, but he was not against them. Boam was fired after he wrote his first two drafts of the script. One of the reasons for this was because Donner wasn't interested in the script and he disagreed with some parts of Boam's original draft. After another writer, [[Robert Mark Kamen]], was hired to re-write the script, Boam was called to return to work on it again. The filmmakers realized that Kamen's re-writes were not working. Boam asked to work alone on the script and ended up constantly changing it from October 1991 until January 1992 while filming was taking place. These types of changes also occurred during the filming of ''[[Lethal Weapon 2]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://theoccasionalcritic.blogspot.mx/2009/09/jeffrey-boam-interview-1992.html | title=The Jeffrey Boam interview, 1992 | date=September 24, 2009 | website=The Occasional Critic}}</ref>

According to Kamen in a 2012 interview, many of his writing contributions ended up in the final film. Kamen also wrote many parts of the previous film in the series, with the most significant portions being the South African villains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.craveonline.com/site/197469-not-a-sequel-robert-mark-kamen-on-taken-2-bloodsport-and-karate-kid|title=Not a Sequel: Robert Mark Kamen on Taken 2, Bloodsport and Karate Kid - CraveOnline|date=8 October 2012}}</ref>

Screenwriter [[Jeffrey Boam]] is credited twice in the 'screenplay by' credits. This is because he did one draft by himself (granting him the first credit) and a second draft collaborating with [[Robert Mark Kamen]] (granting him the second credit). In this rare scenario, Boam was hired to rewrite his own script with a second writer. After receiving the unusual writing credits, the advertising department assumed it was a misprint and produced posters with the credits "Story by Jeffrey Boam, Screenplay by Jeffrey Boam and Robert Mark Kamen". After a few of the posters had been sent out, the WGA contacted the department, telling them that the initial credits were the correct ones, and ordering the posters to be recalled and destroyed.

[[Carrie Fisher]] was an uncredited [[script doctor]] on the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fandango.com/carriefisher/filmography/p89886|title=Carrie Fisher Filmography and Movies}}</ref>

===Martial arts===
Russo received martial arts training for a month before shooting from [[Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon]], who had a karate background and was a former kickboxing champion, and Wheeler-Dixon was also her stunt double.<ref name="Blackbelt1992">{{cite magazine|last=Wheeler-Dixon|first=Cheryl|title=Lethal Wheeler Still Using Her Weapons|url={{Google books|-M8DAAAAMBAJ|page=11|plainurl=yes}}|page=11|magazine=Black Belt|issn=0277-3066|publisher=Rainbow Publications|volume=30|issue=6|id=June 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Baker|first=Tim|title=Holy Stuntfighting, Batman!|url={{Google books|LtkDAAAAMBAJ|page=35|plainurl=yes}}|pages=35–38|magazine=Black Belt|issn=0277-3066|publisher=Rainbow Publications|volume=35|issue=7|id=July 1997}}</ref> [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]] instructor [[Rorion Gracie]], who had taught Gibson and Gary Busey in the first movie of the series in 1987, also provided training to Russo and acted as stuntman for a fight scene.<ref name="Blackbelt1992" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Williams |first1=James |last2=Pranin|first2=Stanley|title=Interview with Rorion Gracie|url=http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleid=90|magazine=Aikido Journal|issn=1340-5624|date=1994|issue=101|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122024735/http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleid=90|archive-date=22 November 2007}}</ref>