Few have been more successful on the small screen than Damon Wayans. Heck, the entire Wayans family, of which there are many, have been movers and shakers in the television industry for years. Damon, along with his fellow siblings (Keenan, Shawn, Kim, Marlon) helped create In Living Color in the '90s. Then Damon went on to create and star in the hit comedy, My Wife and Kids, which went strong for five seasons. Now Damon Sr. (his son Damon Wayans Jr. is pretty busy, as well) is coming back to TV as part of Fox's Lethal Weapon pilot, taking on the role made famous by Danny Glover.
Wayans will play Roger "I'm too old for this shit" Murtaugh in the series based on the classic 1987 cop movie, which then became a long-running franchise. He's the first confirmed piece of casting as the search continues for someone to play Murtaugh's partner, Martin Riggs. Mel Gibson played the character opposite Glover, and filling his shoes is going to be tough. Landing an actor of Wayans' caliber is a good start for the show, and producers will likely look for another big name co-star.
Here's the official synopsis for the planned series, which will have its pilot directed by McG:
"When Texas cop and former Navy SEAL Martin Riggs suffers the loss of his wife and baby, he moves to Los Angeles to start anew. There, he gets partnered with LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh, who, having recently suffered a "minor" heart attack, must avoid any stress in his life."
