Ugh, I’ve now written three stories for what is essentially a blip on the film radar. Word now is Liam Neeson will replace Mel Gibson as a Bangkok tattoo artist in The Hangover 2. If I had never reported on the Gibson casting in the first place I wouldn’t have had to report on Gibson’s dismissal and I could have saved the whole story for today’s Neeson casting, but life is what it is.
If you hadn’t heard by now, Gibson was originally expected to have a cameo in the upcoming comedy sequel, which started shooting on the Warner Bros. lot on September 30. But, after push-back from cast and crew, he was nixed from the production. The most vocal was Zach Galifianakis who was quoted on the Comedy Death Ray podcast as saying he was in “deep protest” and “up in arms about something” and when news of Gibson’s departure hit the wire it was quite obvious what he was alluding to.
Apparently the tattoo artist is someone the Hangover gang — to again be played by Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms — needs to track down as the film centers on what happens after a hard night of partying in Bangkok and Stu (Helms) ends up sleeping with a transvestite. Just as in the first film, the guys spend the next day trying to figure out what happened the night before.
Cooper starred alongside Neeson in The A-Team earlier this year and is said to have been instrumental in landing him the role.
The Hangover 2 is currently set for a May 26, 2011 release.
