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It’s been two years. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin
Bartha) are happily living uneventful lives at home. Tattoos have been lasered off, files
purged. The last they heard from disaster-magnet Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), he’d been
tossed into a Thai prison and, with him out of the way, the guys have very nearly
recovered from their nights prowling the seamy side of Las Vegas in a roofie’d haze, and
being kidnapped, shot at, and chased by drug-dealing mobsters in Bangkok.
The only member of the Wolfpack who’s not content is Alan (Zach Galifianakis).
Still lacking a sense of purpose, the group’s black sheep has ditched his meds and given
into his natural impulses in a big way—which, for Alan, means no boundaries, no filters
and no judgment—until a personal crisis forces him to finally seek the help he needs.
And who better than his three best friends to make sure he takes the first step.
This time, there’s no bachelor party. No wedding. What could possibly go wrong?
But
when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.
“The Hangover Part III” is the epic conclusion to an incomparable odyssey of
mayhem and bad decisions, in which the guys must finish what they started by going back
to where it all began: Las Vegas.
One way or another…it all ends here.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes “The Hangover Part
III,” the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy trilogy.
“The Hangover Part III” reunites stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach
Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug. Also returning to the cast are
Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow; Heather Graham as Stu’s first wife, Jade; and Jeffrey Tambor
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as Alan’s father, Sid. Joining the ensemble for the first time is John Goodman, starring as
the guys’ new nightmare, Marshall.
Todd Phillips directs from a screenplay he wrote with Craig Mazin, who previously
collaborated with him on the screenplay for “The Hangover Part II.” The film is produced
by Phillips and Dan Goldberg, with Thomas Tull, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C.
Spink serving as executive producers.
The film also reunited key members of Todd
Phillips’ creative team from the first two films: director of photography Lawrence Sher,
editor Debra Neil-Fisher and costume designer Louise Mingenbach. They are joined by
production designer Maher Ahmad (“Gangster Squad”) and editor Jeff Groth (“Project X”).
The music is composed by Christophe Beck, who created the scores for “The Hangover”
and “The Hangover Part II.”
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Green
Hat Films Production of a Todd Phillips Movie: “The Hangover Part III.”
It will be
distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
hangoverpart3.com
This film is rated R by the MPAA for pervasive language including sexual references,
some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity.
For downloadable general press information
please visit: http://press.warnerbros.com
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
BUT WHAT ABOUT ALAN?
“We’re stuck with him. We’re gonna spend the
rest of our lives with him because we’re all he
has now. You realize that? We’re it.” – Stu
In 2009, writer/director Todd Phillips threw a bachelor party the likes of which had
never been seen before, and invited the whole world to bond with a group of guys now
universally known as the Wolfpack. In 2011, he raised the stakes to show us how far they
could be pushed without completely losing it.
By asking—and then answering—the diabolically simple question, What could go
wrong?, both “The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II” not only shattered boundaries
and box office records, entertaining millions around the globe, but made an indelible mark
on pop culture. Mr. Chow’s deranged catch phrases still ring from the most unlikely
mouths, and fans from Baltimore to Bosnia sidle up daily to the front desk at Caesars
Palace in Las Vegas to crack themselves up by requesting “the Hangover suite” or
quoting Alan’s clueless query, “Is this the real Caesar’s palace?”
Now, “We’re going for a truly epic finish,” says Phillips, as the story takes Phil, Stu,
Alan, Doug, and their nemesis Chow south of the border and then back to the original
scene of the crime for the saga’s fitting conclusion: Las Vegas, where things first went
very, very wrong.
What they thought happened in Vegas was only the half of it, which they are about
to discover in ways that the filmmakers believe should surprise audiences as much as it
surprises the guys. “There’s a lot of action and comedy, a heist, a road trip, and an
element of mystery, too, as we touch on certain things that weren’t explored before but
were always part of the undercurrent of the two previous films,” Phillips continues. “It
brings everything together and wraps it up with an ending that follows its own logic.”
Screenwriter Craig Mazin, who first collaborated with Phillips on the script for “The
Hangover Part II,” recounts how they reached back to the two prior outings to prime that
logic. “We uncovered a chain of unfinished business that arcs through all three movies for
a final story that doesn’t just end on its own, but ends all three. Something happened in
the beginning, although few caught its significance, and that thing is going to come back
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to haunt the guys and start them down a path of what will be, in many ways, their most
difficult and challenging journey of all.”
Designed more as a quest than the forensic investigations that went before, “The
Hangover Part III” shakes up the morning-after structure of its predecessors while still
delivering plenty of laugh-out-loud and what-the-hell moments to keep moviegoers on the
edge of their seats.
Rather than memory loss, the final chapter hinges on clarity, and things coming
into full focus.
It’s not about a specific hangover this time but harkens back to the
original—that mother-of-all hangovers, triggered by Alan, which set all of this into motion
six years ago in ways they couldn’t imagine.
Bradley Cooper, returning as high school English teacher and unofficial pack
leader Phil, says, “There are little story points we maybe glanced by in the original that
become pivotal pieces in the larger whole. Speaking as a fan, myself, watching these
movies, the best part—and certainly the funniest—is putting it all together.”
Part III does not shy away from the dark side, either, the better to give its humor a
sharper edge, Phillips feels.
“With us it always starts with darkness, because that
heightens the comedy. Plus, it just gets more interesting and more real as we bring them
into darker places and amp up the tension. It’s essentially a fish-out-of-water story for
these guys who don’t belong in the situation they’ve been thrown into, so the fun is in
watching them struggle and trip their way through it.”
“Todd is our captain. We just follow him into battle,” says Ed Helms, reprising his
role as the perpetually panicked dentist, Stu.
“At this point, it’s safe to say these
characters have been to hell and back…but in a good way. There are some scars. Stu,
literally, has one from a regrettable tattoo, not to mention a tooth he’ll never get back. But
I love these stories and these guys and I was excited to read the script for ‘The Hangover
Part III,’ to see what was in store for them. I kept turning pages and thinking, ‘No way, are
you kidding me? Where did that come from?’”
Similarly, audiences know these characters well enough now to follow them into
any situation and trust that they will somehow prevail. Or have a phenomenally good time
trying. “Bottom line: the amount of funny that comes out of these movies is unbelievable,”
attests Ken Jeong, returning as bad-luck charm Chow. “And this one answers all the
questions. You want to know what happened to Chow? You’ll get that answer, real quick,
and in spectacular fashion.”
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At the same time, part of what makes “The Hangover Part III” a satisfying
conclusion to all the madness is how it copes with the one member of the group who has,
thus far, eluded anything resembling growth or self-awareness. Who has ostensibly,
throughout all the trauma and drama and near-death experiences, never learned anything
and never changed.
In other words…”This one is Alan’s story,” says Phillips.
“It’s kind of bittersweet knowing that, after this, I won’t be able to play Alan ever
again. It was a nice run, though,” Zach Galifianakis remarks, considering the persona that
has earned a worldwide following and made a significant impact on his own life and
career.
Knowing that “people come to these movies not to be enlightened, but to laugh
and be entertained,” Mazin adds, “I think we laugh more when we care, and Todd and I
care very much about these characters so we wanted to finish this in a meaningful way,
and that meant dealing with Alan.”
Consequently, “The Hangover Part III” nudges Alan onto an inner journey he
desperately needs, that runs parallel to the story’s main action. “I hate to suggest he
grows up because I don’t know how possible that would be, but something definitely starts
to change in him, at a cellular level,” offers Dan Goldberg, Phillips’ longtime producing
partner.
“This allowed us to mine comedy from the deeper aspects of the characters,”
Goldberg continues. “We couldn’t rely on the same things that worked before, either in
character or story. Alan has given us a lot of laughs, and this movie is no exception, but
there comes a time when you think, he can’t go on like this. What if he was your friend?
One element that comes across so well in these movies is that no matter how insane
things get, the friendship feels real. You believe these guys truly care about each other.
So the question eventually becomes, how could they allow one of their own to continue on
such a self-destructive path?”
Phillips concurs, emphasizing that the Wolfpack dynamic has always been key.
“From the beginning, I think these movies work because of the characters and the casting.
If we had, say, three Alans, apart from that being impossible, it would be tapping the same
vein. These actors are not only funny in their own right, but each one comes from such a
different place, comedically, that it makes for an extraordinary chemistry.
“When you watch a movie, you usually identify with a certain character,” he further
notes. “I think a lot of people see things through Stu’s eyes, because he’s the one who
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seems most normal. Confident audience members see through Phil’s eyes and some
people, if they’re completely unhinged, see things through Alan’s eyes, but ultimately it’s
the group they’re responding to, and that’s a real testament to the actors. Beyond the
comedy, beyond the plot, no matter where they wake up or whatever harebrained heist
they have to accomplish to get out of trouble, I think people are just happy to get back
together with these guys and go along for one last ride.”
OK, HERE’S WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
“… and then everything went black.” – Chow
Alan is not doing well. In fact, he’s not doing much of anything, and his family has
grown increasingly concerned. “The guys, led by Doug, who is Alan’s brother-in-law as
well as his friend, stage an intervention in the hopes of getting him into a facility where he
can get some help and put his life in order,” says Phillips. “Knowing he can’t do it alone,
Doug enlists Phil and Stu. So it’s helping Alan that brings the four of them together.”
Naturally, Alan is resistant, but he finally gives in to the irresistible promise of a
road trip with his three best friends.
“Alan has to be told he’s having a midlife crisis because he’s not aware of it,”
Galifianakis admits. “He has no idea. I guess it’s more like a coming-of-age crisis, but it’s
hard to come of age when you’re already over 40.”
Unbeknownst to the four of them, though, Alan’s long-overdue bid for mental
health coincides with an equally momentous event occurring halfway around the world:
Leslie Chow is breaking out of prison, “Shawshank”-style, and, like a malevolent genie
freshly uncorked, will waste no time in bringing havoc into the lives of anyone close to
him. And no one is closer to him than Alan.
As a result, states Helms, “What starts out as a fairly magnanimous gesture
quickly escalates into utter chaos and hell.”
Still, Phillips asserts, “If you talk to people who love these movies, they’ll often say
they wish they had a friend like Alan, and that’s largely attributable to Zach. He has such
sweetness behind his eyes, that he can say and do most anything and you’ll think, ‘Oh, he
didn’t mean it like that.’ So he gets away with all sorts of things. People love Alan for his
innocence, his big heart, and his ability to just have a good time without worrying about
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what other people think—which is good, even though he always goes too far and screws it
up.”
While Alan’s unhealthy relationship with Chow ranks high on the list of things that
skew his approach to life, there isn’t a single member of the Wolfpack who hasn’t been
affected by its fallout. “It comes to light that Chow did something during the time of the first
movie that greatly pissed off a very dangerous enemy. He compounded that offense
during the second, and it’s all going to come back on him now—and on Alan, Phil, Stu and
Doug,” warns Goldberg.
Again, it’s Phil who is the first to lose patience. However, once dragged in, he will
likely be the last to give up. Though some see this alpha-male character as the most
level-headed of the group, Cooper disagrees. “If Phil represents the voice of reason,
that’s a pretty messed up reality they’re living in,” he suggests. “I think Phil’s view on life
is demented in its own way. He can be highly moral but, at the same time, it’s a very
specific and personal code. He marches to the beat of his own drum, so he may seem
rational on the surface, but he’s actually willing to go to some pretty extreme places to get
things done.”
Stu is arguably the group’s true voice of reason, but since that voice is so often
accompanied by screaming and hyperventilation, it’s hard to hear. Loyalty and good
intentions aside, improvising at a crime scene just isn’t his strong suit. Never was; never
will be.
“Stu got married to a beautiful, sophisticated woman in ‘The Hangover Part II,’”
notes Helms. “And, as typically happens when schlubs like him marry women a class
above them, it automatically ups his game. So the Stu we first see in ‘Hangover Part III’ is
right away a little cooler, a little more fashionable. But it’s all a house of cards. The
minute things get scary, Stu reverts back to his true self. Nerd. Major nerd.”
If Chow is the catalyst for chaos, and Phil and Stu the ones working for a solution,
and if Alan is the linchpin for every mistake and wrong turn they’ve ever made… then
Doug, poor Doug, is the collateral damage.
“Yeah, Doug gets screwed again,” confirms Justin Bartha, wryly reflecting on the
role that often has him tied up, blindfolded and shoved into the back of a van. “They know
where he is this time; they just don’t know how to get him back. I think that even if this
wasn’t the last movie, it would probably still be the last time that anyone ever saw Doug
hanging out with these guys. I think he’d be crazy to pick up the phone next time they call
because they’ve gotten him into so much trouble already.”
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Goldberg takes a more philosophical view: “That’s his lot in life, unfortunately. We
love Doug, but he’s just meant to be kidnapped, misplaced, or stuck on a rooftop.”
Similarly, Leslie Chow is just meant to stir up trouble.
Ken Jeong first came
aboard as Chow in “The Hangover,” and his uninhibited portrayal helped develop the
supporting role into something vastly more significant, to the delight of fans around the
world.
Says Jeong, “Chow is like a squib, a little cap that explodes and makes a mess
everywhere. You never know if he has a trace of fear in his heart or not, because that tiny
bit of vulnerability he exposes might just be a trick to draw you in. In this film we see him,
for the first time, in a seriously compromised position and it’s possible that, like Alan, he’s
finally exploring the consequences of his actions. Or, knowing Chow, maybe not.”
“Not to get too highfalutin’ about it, but if you look at Greek drama there were
humans and gods, and the gods weren’t always nice,” offers Mazin. “Sometimes they
were terrible. They would insert themselves into the lives of humans and they were
immortal so you couldn’t kill them, you couldn’t stop them, and they would just do
whatever they wanted and disrupt things for everyone. That’s Chow. He’s a force of
nature. He’s the god of mayhem.”
But this time the Wolfpack’s troubles are far bigger than Chow. Now, the one
calling the shots and making the threats is a guy who makes him look like a camp
counselor. John Goodman takes on the mysterious role of Marshall, a very bad man in a
very bad mood, who sends them on a mission to retrieve something he believes they
caused him to lose—with dire consequences if they fail.
“It’s hard not to love John Goodman,” says Phillips. “He’s so versatile. He can
play steely and dead-serious or completely whacked out, or a combination of both.”
“Marshall is the prime mover behind everything, the kingpin,” Goodman describes.
“We don’t know a lot about him, which is for the best, except that people jump when he
snaps his fingers and they do what he tells them to do. He’s pretty scary. Also, he
dresses like a plush toy; lots of velour. So he’s kind of plushy, kind of squeezable and
laid-back…and he kills people.”
In addition to introducing Goodman into the mix, “The Hangover Part III” reintroduces some familiar faces, including Hangover alum Jeffrey Tambor, as Alan’s
beloved father, Sid, who helps to set the stage for this third excursion in a dramatic and
most unexpected way; and Heather Graham as Jade, the former Vegas stripper who was
once very temporarily married to Stu.
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One of the few people to have benefited from her entanglement with the Wolfpack,
Jade’s life has changed for the better since they first staggered through town. Says
Graham, “Like many of the fans, there’s a part of me that was thinking maybe Jade would
end up with Stu, but even though things turned out differently I’m glad to say that she’s
happy. I wanted a good ending for her. We all did. Jade has stopped stripping, gotten
married and become a suburban mom, and it’s easy to believe that her brief introduction
to nice-guy Stu was the first step in that process.”
Of course, where Jade goes, Tyler can’t be far away. Audiences will remember
the good-natured infant—now four—that Phil, Alan and Stu discovered in their trashed
hotel room in “The Hangover,” and toted around for a day before identifying him as Jade’s
son. In fact, Grant Holmquist, the youngster who appears as Tyler in “Part III” was one of
several babies who originally shared the role and it was his image on the movie poster art,
sporting sunglasses and nestled in a pouch around Alan’s neck.
Says Phillips, “He still has those beautiful cheeks and big blue eyes that were so
striking. He’s not an actor. But he came in and met with us and he seemed very cool.
We felt like we knew him, and it was great to have him back.”
The filmmakers also welcomed back Mike Epps as the hilariously volatile “Black
Doug”—a moniker he clearly hates and was first coined by the guys, in desperate straits,
to distinguish him from their missing friend with the same name.
Additionally, Sasha Barrese returns as the anxious Tracy, forced to split her
concern between her husband, Doug, and her brother, Alan. Jamie Chung returns as
Lauren, the woman Stu risked life and limb to wed in the second film. Sondra Currie
appears again as Alan’s long-suffering mother, Linda. And Gillian Vigman is still Phil’s
better half, Stephanie.
WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS
“I told myself I’d never come back.” – Stu
“Don’t worry. It all ends tonight.” – Phil
The film’s final recurring character is Las Vegas, itself—or, as Phillips calls it, “the
heart of darkness for these guys.”
As much as the past six years have impacted Alan, Phil, Stu and Doug, it can’t
compare to what those years have meant to the real-life principals and fans of this
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phenomenally popular film franchise since its debut, and nowhere is that clearer than in
Las Vegas. A quick glance in any direction offers ample evidence: Hangover-themed slot
machines, visitors circulating in Wolfpack tee-shirts and gift shops featuring souvenir
items tied to the movies while, outside, it’s not unusual to see an Alan impersonator
posing for tourist photo ops.
“’The Hangover’ has become an iconic Las Vegas film, which I love and really
makes me proud,” says Phillips.
“Certainly shooting the first one we had a much lower profile,” Helms remembers.
“Going back could only be described as completely bananas because not only are we all
more recognizable now, but ‘The Hangover’ is such an institution there. It was
overwhelming at times, but always fun and exciting, too. It’s hard to walk through the
lobby or play blackjack for an hour without drawing a crowd or having fans come up to say
hello, and it’s so cool to be a part of it.”
The production returned to Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, where the action
kicked off in the first film and where it was destined to culminate like some twisted déjà vu.
Citing the story’s lasting influence on this long-standing Vegas landmark, Cooper says,
“Security guards told us they’re constantly stopping people trying to get onto the roof.”
Once again, filming incorporated areas in and around the property, featuring its
famous lobby, elevators, and the interior of a 10,000-foot suite that serves as Chow’s
party pad. “The Hangover Part III” also tapped local sites such as the Super Liquor Store
on Paradise Road and the area around downtown’s Fremont Street.
Its most elaborate stunt sequence embraces the distinctive nighttime panorama of
the Las Vegas skyline from a truly unique point of view: through Leslie Chow’s aviator
shades, as he attempts a daring escape off the balcony of his penthouse. High above the
lights and rooftops, over Las Vegas Boulevard and past the Paris Hotel’s Eiffel Tower,
Chow soars like a leaf on the wind, bound for who-knows-where, while his pursuers
frantically try to track him from the grid of city streets below.
The shoot required a herculean level of preparation, involving helicopters, stunt
parachutists, a massive crane and even the coordination of The Bellagio’s famed
fountains. “We shot it over two nights but it took months to organize,” says Goldberg.
“The strip is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the world and you can’t have people flying
over cars; it’s too dangerous. We had dozens of PAs closing streets along with the help
of the Las Vegas police, and we could only do it for about eight minutes at a time. We
would film the parachute jumpers coming down, wait for them to land safely and then get
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them off the street so we could let the traffic flow. Wait 10 minutes and do it again. It was
like a military operation, but it’s a great sequence and such a signature Chow move.”
Four jumpers stood in for Chow at points on the route, including Philip Tan, who
has doubled for Ken Jeong on all the “Hangover” films. Their trajectory was traced by six
strategically placed cameras on the ground, as well as a helmet-cam and an aerial
camera supported by cables that proved the piece’s biggest logistical challenge.
Stunt coordinator Jack Gill offers some of the details. “We strung a thousand feet
of cable 350 feet in the air. After picking points on the various hotels that would work, we
then had to find a crane from which to mount the wires.” This meant pre-positioning the
500-ton apparatus near the entrance to Bally’s, which took seven trucks and eight hours
to accomplish. From there, he continues, “We had a 2-wire rig going over to Planet
Hollywood. It’s a 1000-foot run and we put Phil Tan on one wire and a camera on the
other. The camera moves toward him, then wraps around him as he goes by the other
way.”
The fact that the jumpers launched themselves from helicopters required FAA
approval. Beyond that, Phillips recalls, “it required the collaborative assistance of five or
six high-profile properties that share the strip. Suddenly I had a button that controlled
when the fountains at The Bellagio were going to go off, because we didn’t want Chow
drifting into the spray. It all went smoothly, and it gives the story real action, which I think
always enhances the experience of watching a movie like this. Even if people don’t
realize it, subconsciously they see it in a different way.”
Helms jokes, “Unlike some of the stuff we did in the other movies, where we would
do something and then our stunt crew would perform the more badass version of it, in this
movie, certain scenes are so badass that they wouldn’t let us have anything to do with
them.”
In fact, the actors did participate in a fair amount of their own stunts, most notably
in another of the film’s major set pieces where Alan and Phil rappel down the sheer side of
a hotel tower. The sequence was actually captured on a soundstage; however, it still
required Cooper and Galifianakis to vertically navigate portions of a 60-foot façade
constructed on Warner Bros. Studios’ Stage 16.
Integrating the existing Caesars Palace architecture, production designer Maher
Ahmad built the structure that represented five stories of the hotel’s Augustus Tower,
including cantilevered balconies, carvings of trumpeting angels, and the nine-foot
illuminated letters of the hotel’s logo that had to withstand the shock of actors and
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stuntmen tromping on them. It was also engineered to accommodate a 3,200-pound
crane atop the 100-foot-long set, in addition to personnel and additional gear, and parts of
the stage floor were removed to allow additional room for its height.
The entire set was then completely surrounded by green screens onto which the
visual effects department added meticulously recorded views of the Vegas skyline.
When it comes to meeting the physical demands of such moments, “Bradley
doesn’t flinch, he doesn’t even talk about it, he always wants to do it. He hates it when we
use a stunt man, whereas I think Zach wishes his stunt double could do the whole movie,”
Phillips laughingly offers.
Acutely acrophobic, Galifianakis counters, “Alan and Phil are climbing down from
the roof with bed sheets. We had harnesses, so it was completely safe, but my irrational
mind told me otherwise. Did I mention how much fun it is to be in the movies? I’m afraid
of heights. If I were two inches taller I’d live my whole life in fear because that would be
too high for me.”
Additionally, for Chow’s explosive prison break, a safety-harnessed but perpetually
drenched Ken Jeong spent a day repeatedly diving from a tank into a 30-foot free-fall as
water gushed out behind him.
For the prison itself, Ahmad and his team repurposed an existing hydroelectric
plant, which was then joined to an elaborate system of interconnecting sewer tunnels
constructed on a studio stage. “What Todd and I wanted to do was to construct it on two
levels,” the designer says. “As Chow goes through a hole in his cell wall he falls 15 feet
into the hub and goes down a smaller side tunnel which branches off the main artery.
From there, he climbs up to another level and whole thing narrows down to the point
where he gets swept out, all of which was more visually engaging than a straight run.”
Ahmad also built a Las Vegas pawn shop out of a furniture store, that proved
realistic enough to attract a couple of would-be customers poking around for a deal.
His largest job, however, was turning three blocks of real estate in the border town
of Nogales, Arizona into a busy Tijuana neighborhood where Phil, Stu, Alan and Chow
mark a clandestine reunion. “Rather than one building that required construction, nearly
every one of the more than 50 storefronts needed some kind of transformation with
dressing and signage,” says Ahmad. “It was a very interesting area with the streets
forming a Y, and a perfect spot in front of a building for a bus bench, all of which was
integral to the scene. The same building is also the exterior for the flophouse where
Chow is holed up.”
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It’s a cozy little dive he shares with a cache of fighting roosters, which indicates
how low the former high-stakes player has sunk in his effort to make a living. At one
point, when Alan upsets their tenuous calm, the room erupts into a melee of wings, claws
and squawking as the birds attack Alan, Phil and Stu. The manic moments were filmed
entirely on a soundstage and employed a dozen birds, both roosters and hens, trained by
Birds and Animals Unlimited, to leap up and hang onto the actors’ backs. Birds flying out
the window were caught in sound blankets to cushion their landing. To protect both
animals and humans, animatronic models provided more hands-on interaction such as
simulated pecking and scratching.
A trainer from Birds and Animals Unlimited also escorted the film’s star giraffe, an
easygoing adolescent named Stanley, to his big close-up on a different soundstage.
There, Stanley’s placid demeanor was digitally recorded and later married to footage of
Alan hauling an empty trailer down the highway, for a final cut in which the two are seen
traveling together, equally unaware of impending catastrophe.
“This movie was rugged, brutal, massive,” says Cooper.
“I mean, we have
parachutes flying around Vegas at night, wild animals in places where they shouldn’t be,
lots of crazy things going on. But it’s all grounded. I don’t think there was ever a point
where Todd, or anyone, thought, ‘Let’s outdo the first or the second film.’ The intention
was just to tell a good story, and it feels like the normal progression of the lives of these
three guys.”
In that same vein, bringing them back to Las Vegas for the trilogy’s grand finale
not only serves the story, but should offer a satisfying sense of completion.
“This time we’re really able to close the book, in a way that’s congruent with what
we built in the first movie,” says Galifianakis. “We have some good jokes and some highoctane action. There’s also some genuine emotion that finds its way in.”
Not surprisingly, emotions also ran high as work on “The Hangover Part III” drew
to a close, largely due to the camaraderie that has developed among cast and crew, most
of whom have worked together on all three films.
“A lot has happened since shouting ‘Action’ on day one of the first ‘Hangover,’”
Phillips reflects. “It’s fun for us to look back on five or six years and three movies, and
think of all the insane things we did and the places we went together. When we came to
the last scene of the last day, I certainly felt that something special had come to an end.
“I know it’s a rare privilege to be able to make movies like this and create
characters that audiences respond to the way they’ve responded to these guys,” the
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director adds. “And I’m glad we were able to wrap it up in a way that honors the story and
gives them the big send-off they deserve.”
ABOUT THE CAST
BRADLEY COOPER (Phil) has signed a two-year, first-look deal with Warner
Bros., announcing his production company, 22nd & Indiana.
Cooper most recently starred in the Academy Award® nominated film “Silver
Linings Playbook,” for which he received his first Academy Award® nomination. Directed
by David O’ Russell, the film was an adaptation of the Matthew Quick serio-comic novel
and also starred Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver. “Silver Linings
Playbook” debuted at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to earn
seven Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted
Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Cooper won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor and the Broadcast
Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in a Comedy for his performance.
Additionally, he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an
Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and a Screen Actors Guild® nomination for
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, as well as nominations from
the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Male Lead, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor
in a Lead Role.
He will next be seen starring opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the independent
drama “Serena,” based on Ron Rash’s period novel set in depression-era 1929 North
Carolina and directed by Academy Award® winner Suzanne Bier.
Cooper is currently starring alongside Ryan Gosling in Derek Cianfrance’s thriller
“The Place Beyond the Pines,” which debuted at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. In
2012, he starred in “The Words,” a drama written and directed by his childhood friends
Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, and in “Hit & Run,” directed by Dax Shepherd.
In May 2011, Cooper starred opposite Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin
Bartha in “The Hangover Part II,” directed by Todd Phillips, the blockbuster hit sequel to
2009’s “The Hangover,” which was the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time. “The
Hangover Part II” went on to surpass the original in international earnings and the two
films combined have earned more than $1 billion worldwide.
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In 2010, Cooper starred as Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, alongside Liam
Neeson, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the big-screen
adaptation of “The A-Team,” directed by Joe Carnahan. In 2009, he appeared in “New
York, I Love You,” the American version of the acclaimed film “Paris, Je t’aime,” and the
hit comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You,” opposite Jennifer Connelly and Scarlett
Johansson, based on The New York Times best-selling novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz
Tuccillo. Cooper’s other film roles include the box office success “Yes Man,” opposite Jim
Carrey; “Wedding Crashers,” opposite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson; and director
David Wain’s 2001 cult favorite “Wet Hot American Summer,” with Janeane Garofalo,
Molly Shannon and Paul Rudd. Cooper also starred with Sandra Bullock and Thomas
Hayden Church in “All About Steve.”
In the summer of 2012, Cooper starred alongside Patricia Clarkson in Bernard
Pomerance’s “The Elephant Man,” directed by Scott Ellis, on the Nikos Stage at the
Williamstown Theater Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
development to bring “The Elephant Man” to Broadway in 2014.
He is currently in
Cooper made his
Broadway debut in spring 2006 in Joe Montello’s “Three Days of Rain,” opposite Julia
Roberts and Paul Rudd.
In July 2008, he joined the cast of the critically acclaimed
Theresa Rebeck play “The Understudy,” which premiered at Williamstown Theatre
Festival to critical acclaim and sold-out performances.
Cooper starred as Aidan Stone for three seasons of the F/X drama “Nip/Tuck,”
beginning in 2007.
In 2005, he starred in FOX’s single-camera comedy “Kitchen
Confidential,” based on the trials and tribulations of renowned chef Anthony Bourdain. His
other television credits include the Golden Globe nominated series “Alias,” “Jack &
Bobby,” “Touching Evil,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Trial By Jury.”
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cooper graduated with honors in the English
program at Georgetown University.
After moving to New York City, he obtained his
Masters in the Fine Arts program at the Actors Studio Drama School at the New School
University.
ED HELMS (Stu) previously starred in “The Hangover,” winner of the 2010 Golden
Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, and “The Hangover Part II.”
The two mega-hits from director Todd Phillips, together, have grossed over $1 billion
worldwide.
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Helms recently completed production on David Wain’s comedy “They Came
Together,” co-starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, and Rawson Marshall Thurber’s
“We’re The Millers,” with Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts and Jason Sudeikis, set for a
2013 release.
Helms was last seen in the Duplass brothers' 2012 feature “Jeff, Who Lives at
Home,” opposite Jason Segel and Susan Sarandon. He also lent his voice to the 3-D
animated hit film “The Lorax,” playing The Once-ler alongside Danny DeVito, Zac Efron,
and Taylor Swift. The film is based on the famous Dr. Seuss children's book about
preserving the environment.
Currently, Helms stars in the scene-stealing role of Andy Bernard in NBC's hit
comedy “The Office,” now in its ninth season. His other television credits include a fouryear stint as a senior correspondent and writer on the Emmy Award®-winning “The Daily
Show with Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central's “Premium Blend” and Fox’s “Arrested
Development.”
Helms’ additional film credits include Miguel Arteta’s “Cedar Rapids,” Shawn
Levy's “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” “The Goods,” “Semi-Pro,”
“Knocked Up,” “Meet Dave,” “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” Jake
Kasdan’s “Walk Hard” and Tom Shadyac’s “Evan Almighty.”
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Helms headed to New York City to pursue
comedy shortly after attending Oberlin College in Ohio. He now resides in Los Angeles
and plays a mean banjo.
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS (Alan) most recently starred opposite Will Ferrell in “The
Campaign,” director Jay Roach’s hit comedy about political rivals.
Prior to that, Galifianakis reprised his role as Alan in the 2011 hit “The Hangover
Part II,” the follow-up to director Todd Phillips’ international blockbuster comedy “The
Hangover.” In 2011, he also lent his voice to the animated comedy “Puss in Boots,”
alongside Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, and appeared in the family musical
comedy “The Muppets,” with Jason Segel.
Among his upcoming projects, Galifianakis will next be seen in writer/director
Matthew Weiner’s comedy “You Are Here,” alongside Owen Wilson and Amy Poehler. He
will also star with Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in Alejandro Gonzàlez
Iñárritu’s “Birdman,” which is currently in production.
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His recent work also includes reuniting with Phillips for “Due Date,” opposite
Robert Downey Jr.; starring in “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” which premiered at the 2010
Toronto Film Festival; and starring with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in the Jay Roach
comedy “Dinner for Schmucks.”
Galifianakis moved to New York City after failing his last college course by one
point at North Carolina State University. He got his start performing his brand of humor in
the back of a hamburger joint in Times Square, graduating to doing stand-up at night in
clubs and coffee houses in the city. While working as a bus boy, he got his first acting job
on the NBC sitcom “Boston Common.”
His additional film credits include the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced hit “G-Force”;
the indie feature “Youth in Revolt,” with Michael Cera, Steve Buscemi and Ray Liotta; a
cameo in Jason Reitman’s Oscar®-nominated film “Up in the Air”; “Comedians of
Comedy,” a documentary that follows four underground comics; and the critically
acclaimed true-life drama “Into the Wild,” from director Sean Penn.
On the small screen, Galifianakis also starred as Roy Hueston in the HBO comedy
series “Bored to Death,” with Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson.
In addition, he
hosted the critically acclaimed VH1 talk show “Late World with Zach,” and also wrote and
starred in “Dog Bites Man” for Comedy Central.
Galifianakis has an internet talk show entitled “Between Two Ferns,” on which he
has interviewed such guests as Steve Carell, Natalie Portman, Conan O’Brien and
Charlize Theron.
When not filming, he lives on his farm in North Carolina.
KEN JEONG (Mr. Chow) first appeared as Asian mobster Mr. Chow in the 2009
mega-hit comedy “The Hangover,” alongside Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach
Galifianakis. The film became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time and went
on to make over $467 million worldwide, only to be trumped by “The Hangover Part II,”
which grossed $581 million worldwide.
Since his feature film debut as the doctor in “Knocked Up” in 2007, Jeong has
gone on to a number of memorable roles in a series of successful comedies. Directed,
written and produced by Judd Apatow, Jeong’s first film grossed $219 million at the
worldwide box office. In 2008, Jeong received his first major role as the villain, King
Argotron, in “Role Models,” opposite Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott and Christopher
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Mintz-Plasse. The film went on to gross over $90 million worldwide. The same year,
Jeong appeared in two other major comedies: “Pineapple Express” and “Step Brothers.”
Jeong’s career path started off on a different course.
He earned his
undergraduate degree at Duke University and went on to attain his medical degree at the
University of North Carolina. Jeong completed his Internal Medicine residence in New
Orleans, all the while developing his comedy. In 1995, he won the Big Easy Laff Off. The
competition, judged by former NBC President Brandon Tartikoff and Improv founder Bud
Friedman, turned out to be his big break as Tartikoff and Friedman urged him to head to
Los Angeles.
Jeong began performing regularly at the Improv and Laugh Factory, and was seen
on a number of television shows, including “The Office,” “Entourage” and “MADtv.” It
wasn’t until his pivotal role as Dr. Kuni in “Knocked Up,” though, that Jeong solidified
himself as a feature film comedian. In 2006, he and comedian Mike O’Connell left a mark
on YouTube as “Million Dollar Strong,” a spoof rap duo. Since its posting in 2006, the
video has garnered over 1 million views and Jeong and O’Connell have been tapped by
MTV Films to write and star in the film version.
Jeong can currently be seen as series regular Señor Chang, alongside Joel
McHale and Chevy Chase, on NBC’s hit comedy “Community,” now in its fourth season.
On the big screen, he most recently starred with Dwayne Johnson and Mark
Wahlberg in director Michael Bay’s actioner “Pain & Gain.” His recent feature projects
also include the hit comedy “The Muppets.” Upcoming, Jeong will lend his voice to the
animated family comedy “Turbo.”
Jeong’s additional credits include roles in “The Zookeeper,” “Transformers 3: Dark
of the Moon,” “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” and “All About Steve.” He has also
appeared in numerous Stand Up 2 Cancer PSAs and hosted the 2011 Billboard Music
Awards.
HEATHER GRAHAM (Jade) discovered her passion for acting at an early age and
caught the attention of filmmakers with her breakout role in Gus Van Sant’s “Drugstore
Cowboy,” for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She went on
to score unforgettable roles in the 1997 classic “Boogie Nights,” for which she received
the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and 1999’s “Austin Powers:
The Spy Who Shagged Me.” Also in 1999, Graham was named ShoWest Female Star of
Tomorrow.
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Most recently, Graham starred in Ramin Bahrami’s “At Any Price,” which screened
at the Toronto, Venice, Telluride and Zurich Film Festivals, and in “About Cherry,”
opposite James Franco, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2012 and
hit theaters September 21, 2012. Her recent credits also include “Judy Moody and the
Not Bummer Summer,” “5 Days of War,” and Todd Phillips’ 2009 blockbuster comedy
“The Hangover,” with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifinakis. She also starred
with a stellar ensemble cast in Emilio Estevez’s “Bobby,” about the assassination of
Robert F. Kennedy, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2006 and
also screened at the AFI Film Festival.
Upcoming, Graham has several projects in the works, including the Tim Garrick
comedy “Behaving Badly,” with Selena Gomez, Patrick Warburton and Dylan McDermott,
and the independent thriller “Compulsion.”
Throughout her career, Graham has worked with some of the industry’s most
respected actors and directors.
Her performances include that of a doe-eyed girl in
“Swingers,” with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn; an ambitious young actress in Frank
Oz’s “Bowfinger,” with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy; and the tragic Mary Kelly in Albert
and Allen Hughes’ “From Hell,” opposite Johnny Depp; as well as roles in “The Guru,” with
Marisa Tomei; “Hope Springs,” opposite Colin Firth; “Committed,” with Luke Wilson; Ed
Burns’ ensemble “Sidewalks of New York”; James Toback’s “Two Girls and a Guy,” with
Robert Downey Jr.; “Lost in Space,” with Gary Oldman and William Hurt; and “Six
Degrees of Separation,” starring Will Smith.
Graham also executive produced and starred in the feature film “Cake,” a romantic
comedy also starring Sandra Oh and Cheryl Hines. In 2004-2005, she received rave
reviews for her guest starring stint on NBC’s critically acclaimed series “Scrubs.”
On stage, Graham made her debut off-Broadway in Playwrights Horizons’ “Recent
Tragic Events.”
JUSTIN BARTHA (Doug) previously starred in Todd Phillips’ blockbuster hit
comedies “The Hangover,” in 2009, and “The Hangover Part II,” in 2011.
Bartha can currently be seen in NBC’s new comedy series “The New Normal,”
created by Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler. He stars as one half of a gay couple trying to
create a family via surrogate, and the comedy and emotional rollercoaster that comes with
that life change.
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He recently completed production on the upcoming release “CBGB,” a biopic
about the iconic New York punk club during its heyday in the mid ‘70s. In the film he stars
as Stiv Bators, famed frontman for The Dead Boys. He also wrapped the feature drama
“Brahmin Bulls,” for award-winning director Mahesh Pailoor.
Bartha last starred in the Todd Solondz feature “Dark Horse,” with Selma Blair, Mia
Farrow and Christopher Walken, which premiered in competition at the 2011 Venice
International Film Festival and the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Prior to that,
he starred in the gritty indie drama “Holy Rollers,” with Jesse Eisenberg. Loosely based
on the true story of Hasidic drug dealers in the late ‘90s, “Holy Rollers” premiered in
competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and garnered director Kevin Asch the
Breakthrough Award at the Gotham Film Festival and the Most Promising Newcomer
Award at Deauville.
Bartha is also known for his performances as Riley Poole, partner to Nicolas
Cage’s character Ben Gates from the worldwide blockbuster franchise “National Treasure”
and “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.” His additional film credits include ”New York, I
Love You,” the American version of “Paris, Je t'aime”; as well as “Failure to Launch,” with
Matthew McConaughey, Sidney Lumet’s HBO telefilm “Strip Search” and Martin Brest’s
“Gigli.”
Bartha studied acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and
graduated from their film school. He splits his time between New York and Los Angeles.
JOHN GOODMAN (Marshall) is well known to both film and television audiences.
He recently starred in Robert Zemeckis’ acclaimed drama “Flight,” alongside Denzel
Washington, and in Clint Eastwood’s “Trouble with the Curve,” with Eastwood, Amy
Adams and Justin Timberlake. He also starred in director Ben Affleck’s dramatic thriller
“Argo,” which won the Oscar® as well as Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for Best
Picture, and for which Goodman additionally shared the Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
Award® for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
His recent credits also include Best Picture Oscar®-nominee “Extremely Loud &
Incredibly Close,” director Stephen Daldry’s adaptation of the best-selling novel by
Jonathan Safran Foer, and the animated family comedy “ParaNorman.” For his role in the
2011 Best Picture Oscar® winner “The Artist,” writer/director Michel Hazanavicius’s
homage to Hollywood’s silent film era, Goodman shared Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
Award® and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast.
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Last year, he was honored by the National Board of Review with a Spotlight Award
for his work in 2012, encompassing “Argo,” “ParaNorman,” “Flight” and “Trouble with the
Curve.”
Among Goodman’s upcoming feature projects are the Coen brothers’ “Inside
Llewyn Davis”; Shawn Levy’s comedy “The Internship”; the animated comedy adventure
“Monsters University”; and the drama “The Monuments Men,” for director George
Clooney, in which he will star alongside Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett and Bill
Murray.
His recent television work includes the movie “Alpha House,” a drama co-starring
Bill Murray, as well as roles on the BBC series “Dancing on the Edge,” NBC’s hit comedy
“Community,” FX Network’s “Damages” and HBO’s “Treme.”
In 2010, he starred with Al Pacino in the HBO biopic “You Don’t Know Jack,”
earning Emmy and SAG Award® nominations for his portrayal of Jack Kevorkian’s
longtime associate Neal Nicol. Goodman won an Emmy Award in 2007 for his guest role
on Aaron Sorkin’s series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” He earlier received two Emmy
nominations for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Special, for his work in the television
adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” and for his performance in
the title role of “Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long.”
Goodman first became a favorite of television viewers when he starred for nine
seasons on the smash hit sitcom “Roseanne.” Over the course of the show’s run, he won
a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, as well as earning three more Golden
Globe nominations, seven Emmy nominations and a SAG Award® nomination.
His
numerous credits also include a recurring role on Sorkin’s “The West Wing,” and starring
roles on HBO’s “Treme,” FX’s “Damages” and NBC’s “Community.”
On the big screen, Goodman received a Golden Globe nomination for his chilling
performance in the Coen brothers’ 1991 film “Barton Fink.” He first collaborated with the
Coens on the hit comedy “Raising Arizona,” and has since reunited with them on the films
“The Hudsucker Proxy,” “The Big Lebowski” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Goodman was more recently seen in Kevin Smith’s indie political thriller “Red
State.”
His extensive list of credits also includes “Evan Almighty,” “Speed Racer,”
“Beyond the Sea,” “One Night at McCool’s,” “Coyote Ugly,” “What Planet Are You From?,”
“Bringing Out the Dead,” “Fallen,” “The Borrowers,” “Mother Night,” “The Flintstones,”
“Born Yesterday,” “The Babe,” “King Ralph,” “Arachnophobia,” “Stella,” “Always,” “Sea of
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Love,” “Everybody’s All-American,” “Punchline,” “The Wrong Guys,” “The Big Easy,”
“Sweet Dreams,” and “Revenge of the Nerds,” to name only a portion.
In addition to his work in front of the camera, he has lent his distinctive voice to
numerous animated features, including “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “The Emperor’s New
Groove,” “The Jungle Book 2,” “Bee Movie” and “The Princess and the Frog.” He will
reprise his “Monsters, Inc.” role of Scully in the upcoming film “Monsters University.”
A St. Louis native, Goodman earned a BFA in Theatre from Southwest Missouri
State, and has appeared in a wide range of plays, musicals and children’s theatre
productions. He made his Broadway debut in “Loose Ends,” and, in 1985, earned a
Drama Desk Award nomination for his work in the Broadway musical “Big River.” In 2001,
he starred with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in the Shakespeare in the Park production of
“The Seagull,” directed by Mike Nichols, followed by the Public Theatre’s 2002
presentation of “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.” He more recently starred in the 2009
Broadway revival of “Waiting for Godot.”
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
TODD PHILLIPS (Writer/Director/Producer) directed and produced the 2009
blockbuster hit comedy “The Hangover,” starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach
Galifianakis and Justin Bartha. The film became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of
all time and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. He
then directed, co-wrote and produced its hit sequel, “The Hangover Part II.”
Phillips also directed, co-wrote and produced the 2010 comedy “Due Date,”
starring Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr., and most recently served as producer
on the irreverent comedy “Project X.”
He started his career as a documentary filmmaker, inspired by humor taken from
everyday reality and the belief that the truth is often stranger than fiction. Phillips’ first film,
“Hated,” portrayed the revolting antics of extreme punk rocker G.G. Allin and became an
instant underground sensation. It was released in the summer of 1994 and went on to
become the highest grossing student film of its time.
He followed that in 1998 with “Frat House,” a documentary that he produced and
directed for HBO’s popular “America Undercover” series. “Frat House” premiered at the
1998 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for documentary features.
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The unflinching exposé of life in fraternities created a public controversy that eventually
caused the film to be shelved by HBO. Phillips still hopes to release it in the future.
After meeting producer Ivan Reitman at Sundance, Phillips made his crossover to
features with 2000’s “Road Trip,” which established him as a new force in comedy. He
simultaneously produced and directed “Bittersweet Motel,” a documentary on musical cult
phenomenon Phish.
In one way or another, Phillips’ films explore the nature of male relationships and,
in doing so, he has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest comedic actors, writing and
directing such films as “Old School,” in 2003; “Starsky & Hutch,” in 2004; and “School for
Scoundrels,” in 2006.
Phillips was nominated for a 2006 Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay
for his work on “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan.”
DAN GOLDBERG (Producer) marks his seventh feature collaboration with Todd
Phillips on “The Hangover Part III,” the conclusion to the comedy trilogy that began with
the 2009 blockbuster hit “The Hangover,” a Golden Globe Award winner for Best Motion
Picture – Musical or Comedy, that became the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all
time, and its follow-up hit, “The Hangover Part II.” Goldberg also served as producer on
Phillips’ “Old School,” “Road Trip,” “School for Scoundrels” and “Due Date.”
Additionally, Goldberg produced the outrageous comedy “Howard Stern’s Private
Parts” and the animated comedy adventure “Space Jam,” starring Michael Jordan.
His screenwriting credits include the classic comedies “Stripes” and “Meatballs,”
both of which he also produced; and the enduring cult favorite “Heavy Metal.”
CRAIG MAZIN (Screenwriter) most recently wrote the screenplay for the hit
comedy “Identity Thief,” starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, and directed by
Seth Gordon.
His recent credits include collaborating with filmmaker Todd Phillips on the
screenplay for the blockbuster hit sequel “The Hangover Part II.” He is also a producer on
the upcoming animated comedy “Free Birds,” with a starring voice cast that includes
Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson. The film tells the story of two turkeys who go back in
time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkey off the menu.
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Mazin currently cohosts the popular weekly screenwriting podcast “Scriptnotes”
with fellow writer John August.
THOMAS TULL (Executive Producer) is Chairman and CEO of Legendary
Pictures and has achieved great success in the co-production and co-financing of event
movies. Since its inception in 2004, Legendary Pictures, a division of leading media
company Legendary Entertainment, with film and comics divisions, has teamed with
Warner Bros. Pictures on a wide range of theatrical features.
The many hits released under their joint banner include Christopher Nolan’s
blockbuster Dark Knight trilogy, which kicked off with “Batman Begins,” followed by the
award-winning phenomenon “The Dark Knight,” which earned in excess of a billion dollars
worldwide. Nolan brought the story to an epic conclusion in 2012 with “The Dark Knight
Rises,” which earned more than a billion dollars at the global box office.
This highly successful partnership has also produced such films as Zack Snyder’s
“300” and “Watchmen”; Ben Affleck’s “The Town”; Nolan’s award-winning action drama
“Inception”; the worldwide hit “Clash of the Titans” and its sequel, “Wrath of the Titans”;
and Todd Phillips’ “The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II,” the latter of which is the
highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, worldwide.
Legendary’s most recent release is director Brian Helgeland’s real-life drama “42,”
the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
The company’s upcoming films slated for release in 2013 include “Warner Bros.
Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim,” from director Guillermo del Toro; Zack
Snyder’s “Man of Steel”; “Seventh Son,” starring Jeff Bridges; and “300: Rise of an
Empire,” the new chapter in the “300” saga. Legendary is also in production on “Godzilla,”
slated for release in May 2014, and “Gravel.”
Before forming Legendary, Tull was President of The Convex Group, a media and
entertainment holding company headquartered in Atlanta, on whose Board of Directors he
also served. Tull is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute
(AFI) and the Board of Directors of Hamilton College, his alma mater, and Carnegie
Mellon University. He serves on the board of the San Diego Zoo and is a minority partner
in the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
SCOTT BUDNICK (Executive Producer) is Executive Vice President of Production
for Green Hat Films, overseeing the development and production of a varied slate of
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projects. He recently executive produced the comedy “Due Date,” the blockbuster hit
“The Hangover,” which won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy,
and its sequel, “The Hangover Part II.”
Budnick began his entertainment career in local casting while at Emory University
in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Upon graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles,
serving as casting assistant on Todd Phillips’ “Road Trip” and then as associate to the
director on “Old School,” starring Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Jeremy
Piven.
Most recently, Budnick served as an executive producer on the irreverent comedy
“Project X,” which was produced by Phillips.
Previously, he was an associate producer on Phillips’ “Starsky & Hutch,” starring
Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, and a co-producer on his “School for Scoundrels,” starring
Billy Bob Thornton.
He was also an associate producer on Steven Zaillian’s “All the
King’s Men,” starring Sean Penn and Jude Law, which Phillips executive produced.
CHRIS BENDER (Executive Producer) established Benderspink with partner J.C.
Spink in November of 1998 with “American Pie” in post-production and fourteen writer
clients signed to their management company. The film production arm of Benderspink
has had a successful first look deal with New Line Cinema for over ten years.
Bender has produced or developed projects that have grown into five franchises in
various genres: “The Hangover,” “Final Destination,” “American Pie,” “The Ring,” “Cats &
Dogs” and “The Butterfly Effect.” Eight of his movies have opened to number one, and
Bender and Spink were nominated for a Golden Globe Award for “A History of Violence.”
Benderspink has continued to make diverse feature films over the past ten years,
including the romantic comedies “Just Friends,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris
and “Monster-In-Law,” starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda; “Red Eye,” directed by
Wes Craven and starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy; and “The Ruins,” directed
by Sundance Film Festival winner Carter Smith.
Bender executive produced the international blockbuster “The Hangover,” its hit
sequel “The Hangover Part II” and “I Am Number Four,” as well as producing 2011’s
“Arthur.”
He most recently served as producer on the comedy “The Incredible Burt
Wonderstone,” starring Steve Carell and Jim Carrey, and the action comedy “We’re the
Millers,” starring Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, and Ed Helms, which is set for an
August 2013 release.
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Among Bender’s numerous upcoming projects are the comedy “Vacation,” starring
Ed Helms, and two action thrillers adapted from comic books: “Y: The Last Man” and
“Undying Love.”
J.C. SPINK (Executive Producer) established Benderspink with partner Chris
Bender in November of 1998 with “American Pie” in post-production and fourteen writer
clients signed to their management company. Benderspink’s film production arm has had
a successful first-look deal with New Line Cinema for over ten years.
Spink has produced a wide variety of projects, including “Cats & Dogs,” “The
Ring,” “The Butterfly Effect,” “Kyle XY,” “Leap Year” and “A History of Violence,” for which
he and Bender received a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Benderspink has continued to make diverse feature films over the past ten years
including the romantic comedies “Just Friends,” starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart,
Chris Klein and Anna Faris; “Monster-in-Law,” starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda;
and “Red Eye,” directed by Wes Craven and starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian
Murphy.
Most recently, Spink served as an executive producer on the worldwide
blockbuster comedy “The Hangover,” “I Am Number Four,” 2011’s “Arthur,” “The
Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” and the action comedy “We’re the Millers,” starring Jason
Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston and Ed Helms, which is set for an August 2013 release.
Among Spink’s many projects now in development are the comedy “The $40,000
Man,” and two action thrillers adapted from comic books: “Y: The Last Man” and “Undying
Love.”
LAWRENCE SHER (Director of Photography) has served as cinematographer on
three previous films for Todd Phillips: the blockbuster hits “The Hangover” and “The
Hangover Part II,” and the 2010 hit comedy “Due Date,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and
Zach Galifianakis.
Sher has been a director of photography for more than 17 years, shooting
commercials, music videos and more than 20 feature films.
His work was most recently seen in “The Dictator,” directed by Larry Charles and
starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley, and the David Frankel
comedy “The Big Year,” starring Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin.
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Among his other motion picture credits are the sci-fi comedy “Paul,” starring Seth
Rogen and Jason Bateman for director Greg Mottola and “I Love You, Man,” starring Paul
Rudd and Jason Segel; as well as “Trucker,” “The Promotion,” “Dan in Real Life,” “The
Dukes of Hazzard” and “The Chumscrubber.”
Sher has also been the cinematographer
on many television pilots, including, most recently, HBO’s “Enlightened” for director Mike
White.
Born and raised in New York City, Sher studied economics at Wesleyan University
where, in his junior year, he turned an interest in still photography into a fascination with
motion pictures. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles and began his career as a
camera assistant. After shooting the award-winning USC short “12 Stops on the Road to
Nowhere,” Sher worked as director of photography on several smaller films and music
videos, coming to the fore in 2001 with the award-winning independent film “Kissing
Jessica Stein,” followed by director Zach Braff’s Sundance hit “Garden State.”
Sher is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
MAHER AHMAD (Production Designer) most recently served as production
designer on the Ruben Fleischer drama “Gangster Squad.” The film marked their third
collaboration, following “30 Minutes or Less” and Fleischer’s feature directorial debut,
“Zombieland.”
Ahmad’s recent work includes Fisher Stevens’ “Stand Up Guys,” Greg Berlanti’s
“Life as We Know It,” Mike Judge’s “Extract,” and the romantic comedy “All About Steve,”
in which Sandra Bullock starred, as well as produced with Mary McLaglen. Previously,
Ahmad collaborated with Bullock and McLaglen on the comedy “Miss Congeniality 2:
Armed and Fabulous.”
His design credits also include “The Guardian,” “Fever Pitch,” “Dodgeball: A True
Underdog Story,” “Mr. 3000,” “Holes,” “Paid in Full,” “Gun Shy,” “U.S. Marshals,” “The
Cemetery Club,” “That Night,” “The Package,” “Miami Blues,” “Above the Law” and “Code
of Silence.” In addition to providing the production design, Ahmad also served as an
associate producer on “Chain Reaction,” and was an associate producer and visual
consultant on Andrew Davis’ “Steal Big, Steal Little.”
As an art director, his feature credits include “The Paper,” for director Ron
Howard; “The Fugitive,” for Andrew Davis; “GoodFellas,” for Martin Scorsese; “Miss
Firecracker,” for Thomas Schlamme; “Married to the Mob,” for Jonathan Demme; and
“Angel Heart,” for Alan Parker.
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Ahmad earned an MFA in Theater Scene and Lighting Design from Northwestern
University and began his career as a theatrical set designer in Chicago, where he was
nominated six times for the Joseph Jefferson Award. He was hired as the local art
director for a movie shooting in Chicago and, from that point forward, has worked
exclusively in film, counting among his credits more than 60 features.
He occasionally lectures on design at film schools such as the AFI and the Brooks
Academy.
DEBRA NEIL-FISHER (Editor) first worked with director Todd Phillips on the
blockbuster hit “The Hangover,” for which she was honored with an Eddie Award from the
American Cinema Editors. She re-teamed with Phillips on the 2010 comedy “Due Date”
and “The Hangover Part II.”
Most recently, Neil-Fisher served as additional editor on another blockbuster
comedy hit: “Ted,” directed by Seth MacFarlane.
Among her other feature credits are the hit comedies “Baby Mama,” “Role
Models,” “You, Me and Dupree,” “Without a Paddle,” “Saving Silverman,” and the hugely
successful Austin Powers films, “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” and “Austin
Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.”
Neil-Fisher has collaborated three times with director Donald Petrie, on “Just My
Luck,” “Welcome to Mooseport” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Earlier in her
career, she edited the comedy short “Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dancehall” for
writer/director Bryan Gordon, which won the 1988 Academy Award® for Best Live Action
Short Film. Her work also extends to other genres, including the dramas “Fried Green
Tomatoes,” “The War” and “Up Close and Personal,” as well as the thrillers “Teaching
Mrs. Tingle” and “Dr. Giggles.”
In 1991 Neil-Fisher won a CableACE Award for her work on TNT’s telefilm “Heat
Wave,” for director Kevin Hooks. Her earlier television credits include “The Amy Fisher
Story,” “The Case of the Hillside Strangler” and the TNT thriller “Breaking Point.”
JEFF GROTH (Editor) has spent more than a decade editing a wide variety of film
and television projects. In 2012 he served as editor on the feature comedy “Project X,”
produced by Todd Phillips.
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Groth’s recent credits also include multiple seasons of the comedy series
“Entourage” and “Community,” and the documentary/nonfiction comedy “Religulous,”
starring Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles.
CHRISTOPHE BECK (Composer) completes the “Hangover” trilogy alongside
Todd Phillips, having previously composed the scores for “The Hangover” and “The
Hangover Part II,” as well as the director’s 2010 comedy “Due Date,” starring Zach
Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr., and the 2006 comedy “School for Scoundrels.”
Most recently, Beck composed the scores for the feature films “Tower Heist,” “This
Means War,” “The Watch,” “Pitch Perfect,” “The Guilt Trip” and the “Happy Birthday”
segment of the ensemble comedy “Movie 43,” as well as director Davis Guggenheim’s
documentary short “The Road We’ve Traveled,” about President Obama’s first term, and
John Kahrs’ Oscar®-winning short “Paperman.”
His work will next be heard in the
upcoming Shawn Levy comedy “The Internship” and the family adventure “Frozen.”
Beck has scored numerous motion pictures, including the critically acclaimed
comedy “Cedar Rapids,” starring Ed Helms; the musical feature “Burlesque,” starring Cher
and Christina Aguilera; the actioner “RED,” starring Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis and
Morgan Freeman; Neil LaBute’s “Death at a Funeral”; the sleeper comedy hit “Hot Tub
Time Machine”; Chris Columbus’ fantasy adventure “Percy Jackson & The Olympians:
The Lightning Thief”; and the award-winning documentary “Waiting for Superman.”
In addition to “The Internship,” he has teamed with filmmaker Shawn Levy on a
number of projects, including “Date Night”; the remakes of “The Pink Panther” and
“Cheaper by the Dozen,” both starring Steve Martin; “Just Married”; “Big Fat Liar”; and
“What Happens in Vegas,” which Levy produced.
Beck’s wide range of film credits also includes “Fred Claus,” “Year of the Dog,”
“We Are Marshall,” “The Sentinel,” “Phoebe in Wonderland,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,”
“Saved!” and “Bring It On,” to name only a portion.
For television, Beck won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for
his work on the hit series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He began his scoring career on the
Canadian television series “White Fang.”
LOUISE MINGENBACH (Costume Designer) most recently designed the
costumes for the hit sci-fi action adventure “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” starring Dwayne
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Johnson and Channing Tatum, and “Battleship,” which reunited her with “Hancock”
director Peter Berg.
Her work on “The Hangover Part III” marks the seventh in a series of creative
collaborations with director Todd Phillips, which began on the feature film “Starsky &
Hutch,” followed by “School for Scoundrels” and the 2008 telefilm “The More Things
Change...”
In 2009, she served as the costume designer on Phillips’ mega-hit “The
Hangover,” then re-teamed with him on “Due Date,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach
Galifianakis, and “The Hangover Part II.”
Also a frequent collaborator with Bryan Singer, Mingenbach is currently at work on
the director’s highly anticipated “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” She earned a 2000 Saturn
Award and a Costume Designers Guild Award nomination for her work on Singer’s “XMen,” and teamed with him on the 1995 thriller “The Usual Suspects,” “X2,” “Apt Pupil”
and “Superman Returns,” as well as the pilot for “House M.D.”
Mingenbach also designed costumes for the 2009 action epic “X-Men Origins:
Wolverine.” Her additional feature credits include the Farrelly Brothers’ “The Heartbreak
Kid,”
“Spanglish,”
“The
Rundown,”
“K-PAX,”
“Gossip,”
“Nightwatch,” “The Spitfire Grill” and “One Night Stand.”
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“Permanent
Midnight,”