If it comes as a shock to anyone that there are already plans afoot for The Hangover Part III, then you really haven’t been paying attention. It was almost certain Warner Bros. had something up their sleeve and now The Wrap reports they’ve hired Craig Mazin to write the screenplay. Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong co-wrote The Hangover Part II, which has already taken in over $200 million worldwide since its release on Thursday (the fastest pace ever for a comedy), so it’s little surprise the studio wants more.
Story details for The Hangover Part III are being kept secret, although you can be certain there’ll be plenty more crazy Wolf Pack shenanigans. Craig Mazin did give Movieweb a few possible details on The Hangover Part III in a recent interview, here’s what he had to say: “I cannot image a worse hangover than the one they experience in Bangkok. That’s it. No more. The third one really has to be about something that gets them off of this cycle. Every time these three guys get together, something terrible happens. The third one is about saving them from a life of agony. Sometimes you are caught between a rock and a hard place. Sometimes, people are going to ding you for being too similar. They are going to ding you for straying. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? This isn’t really about responding to internal criticism. For the third one, I think it’s really about what makes sense for the characters. When you are making an action movie, the action star is really an avatar for you to go through that situation. Its about the plot and action. This really isn’t about the plot. It’s about these guys going through some sort of horrendous growth experience. If we are going to end it…This isn’t James Bond. We’re not going to do The Hangover 20…There will be another one, and it will be the hangover to end all hangovers. And in a sense, it has to go to another level, again. The Hangover Part II goes to another level in terms of how dark and insane it gets. The Hangover Part III will go to another level for the guys.”
And while Mazin may think Part III is the end, we’d imagine there are some studio execs already pencilling in Parts 4, 5 and 6, while the dollar signs light up in their eyes. The limiting factor to a certain extent will be getting the main guys back – as no deals for any of the actors or director Todd Phillips have been struck yet even for the third movie – but even if they depart after Part III, if that film’s a success, Warner will likely still try to keep going.