‘The Hangover 3’ Begins Production, Studio Releases Plot Synopsis

Like it or not, production has commenced on The Hangover 3, the latest installment in director Todd Phillips’ money-making franchise. According to About.com, the whole cast is set to return, including a few faces you may remember from the original film. What’s more, Phillips and company are tweaking a formula a bit, which may please critics of the sequel.

One of the biggest criticisms that plagued The Hangover 2 was the lack of originality. Instead of heading off in a slightly different direction, Phillips decided to use the same old formula. For many critics, this was extremely disappointing. However, this didn’t seem to effect the film’s box office performance in the least; to date, the film has grossed nearly $254 million in North America. Worldwide total: $581 million. Bad reviews didn’t hurt that thing at all.

According to the folks at Geek Tyrant, the plot has been described as follows:

“This time, there’s no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.”

Could this be another road trip movie for Todd Phillips? The director tackled a similar premise with his 2010 comedy Due Date, which starred Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan, and Hangover funnyman Zach Galifianakis.

In addition to stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha, The Hangover 3 will see the return of Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Gillian Vigman, Sasha Barrese, and Jamie Chung. If you still need an extra dash of cool, frequent Coen brothers collaborator John Goodman will make an appearance, as well.

According to Coming Soon, the film was co-written by Craig Mazin, the man responsible for helping out with The Hangover 2. At present, Warner Bros. is scheduled to release The Hangover 3 into North American theaters on May 24, 2013.

Are you excited about The Hangover 3? Were you a fan of the previous sequel?