Things don’t half move fast in Hollywood when they need to (while going ridiculously slowly most of the time). Early last week, rumours emerged that pariah actor Mel Gibson would appear in a cameo in The Hangover 2. The next day it was confirmed. By Thursday a backlash meant he’d been dropped from the movie and now just a few days later, they’ve found a replacement.
So who’s stepping into Gibson’s shoes and confirming that Mel is all but finished as an on-screen presence? Well, it seems Liam Neeson has a gap in his schedule, as he’s taking on the role. Neeson confirmed the news himself to Variety, saying, “I just got a call to do a one day shoot on Hangover 2 as a tattooist in Thailand, and that’s all I know about it. I just laughed my leg off when I saw The Hangover, I was shooting in Berlin earlier this year and rented it on the hotel TV.”
The tattooist Neeson mentions, which was originally scheduled for Gibson, is said to be a scary son-of-a-gun who’s central to the plot, although little more is known. The Hangover 2, which reunites the cast of the original for a new adventure in South East Asia, hits cinemas May 2011.