14 DAY TRIAL // Mel Gibson’s cameo in the highly anticipated “The Hangover 2” has been axed following complaints from the cast members – and a replacement has already been found in the person of Liam Neeson.
The official announcement has already been made but, according to it, Neeson’s involvement is still pending approval from the same members of the cast who opposed Gibson’s cameo, E! Online says.
Gibson was initially supposed to have a “pivotal” cameo, the role of a tattoo artist that one of the main characters visits on a night of binge drinking.
It is not yet known whether the role will be altered in any way for Neeson, but all signs are pointing to that it won’t.
“A day after complaints from the cast and crew (ahem, Zach Galifianakis) caused producers to ax Mel Gibson’s appearance in the long-awaited Hangover 2, veteran thesp Liam Neeson has been announced as his replacement,” E! says.
There’s a big if to the cameo though, since, this time, the cast and crew will have the final say before anything is made 100 percent official.
“Neeson’s rep coyly confirmed to E! News that the star would be joining the film, stating everything was a go ‘pending clearance of cast and crew background check’,” E! reports.
“Speaking with Daily Variety, Neeson credited his A-Team costar and Hangover 2 headliner Bradley Cooper with extending the invitation to appear in a cameo as a Bangkok tattoo artist following Gibson’s sudden departure,” the same e-zine notes.
“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 actor said about the offer.
According to the aforementioned e-zine, Neeson has already been seen in Los Angeles, where he’s reportedly started shooting for his scenes for “The Hangover 2.”
In other words, even if his rep would rather he played this coyly, the cameo is a done deal – and there’s no need for an official announcement anymore.
As we also informed you a few days ago, Gibson was reportedly hoping to relaunch his career and clear his name in the media with a light, comedic role in the film.
The moment word got out in the media about the cameo, Zach Galifianakis spoke out against Gibson (without naming any names though), saying the film he was working on was making him very “frustrated” because he had no say in certain decisions made about the cast.