Las Vegas Weekly

December 11, 2009 · 10:46 AM

Photo Gallery: The Hangover director confirms sequel in 2011

By Robin Leach

Heather Graham at The Hangover DVD release party at Pure in Caesars Palace on Dec. 10, 2009.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

With worldwide box office receipts at a staggering $459 million, little wonder that the cast and production executives of The Hangover were celebrating in high-roller style last night at Pure in Caesars Palace.

It was all to launch the unrated DVD of the mega-hit comedy, and its director and writer, Todd Phillips, confirmed for me that there will be a sequel to The Hangover. Vegas DeLuxe first reported those plans on Nov. 20 but were scoffed at and shot down.

“I am halfway through the script,” Todd told me. “I don’t want to give away too much right now, but we’ll film this coming summer for release for summer 2011.”

Todd, who had dined alone at the bar of Rao’s in Caesars Palace in a hoodie, was predictably coy when I pushed him about shooting here in Las Vegas again for the sequel. He said, “It will be set in a different American city, but we’ll use new Vegas flashbacks.” In fact, this weekend while in Sin City, they plan to look at possible locations for those “flashbacks.”

Strip headliners Aubrey O’Day of Peepshow and Carrot Top from the Luxor walked the red carpet, along with Hangover stars Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Rachel Harris, Angela Kinsey and Rob Riggle, who plays the Taser-wielding Las Vegas police officer.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Aubrey O'Day at The Hangover DVD release party at Pure in Caesars Palace on Dec. 10, 2009.

Many of the blockbuster movie’s scenes were shot at Caesars Palace, and appropriately some of the famous statues were draped in Hangover style for last night’s festivities. In addition to re-created movie scenes, there was a wild wedding chapel where guests could dress up for photos complete with a hen.

Wild scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor have been added to the DVD on sale next Tuesday. “They’re even raunchier than the actual movie,” I was told. Bonus scenes include a full version of The Dan Band’s performance and the improv comedy of actor Ken Jeong filmed in nearby desert locales. There’s also a wickedly funny song by three of the film’s stars, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis.

Our loyal Vegas DeLuxe reader Richard Corey was on the red carpet at Pure and posted his videos to YouTube:

Todd summed up the movie’s success for me: “It hit a nerve, and people were at the point where they just wanted to laugh out loud. Everybody secretly wishes they could come to Vegas and party to the point of a Hangover like this one. We just put it up on the screen, and it caught everybody’s attention. None of us ever believed it would be this big, though. It took me a year to get it in front of the cameras from writing and creating it. The sequel will be a much faster timeline!”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

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