The Hangover Part 3 underway?Following an incredibly successful opening weekend that vaulted the box office take of Todd Phillips' The Hangover Part II above the $200 million mark, it should be no surprise that Warner has begun turning the wheels on a three-quel. In fact, The Wrap is reporting that Craig Mazin, who collaborated on Part II will write the script for Part III. But not so fast. The series' stars - Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms - haven't even been approached, nor has Phillips, about the project. But with the kind of money this franchise is bringing in right now, it's only a matter of days before this thing gets inked.

Those (including us) who were initially turned off by the early looks, trailers, and reports that painted The Hangover Part 2 as a weaker second cousin trying to ride the coattails of the first installment without changing very much of the plot will likely find some delight in Todd Pillips's recent remarks on a three-quel. The filmmaker was somewhat reluctant to talk about it, but he did respond to a question launched by Collider.com saying, "if we were to do a third one, if the audience... if the desire was there... I think we have a clear idea where that would head and it's certainly not in the same template you've seen with these movies. The third would very much a finale and an ending. The most I could say about it and I haven't discussed it with these actors is that it is not following that template but very much a new idea."

That's a brave response and all (and he's right in what he says about the direction the franchise should take), but sounds like he might have just submitted his resignation letter. We know how the studio suits hate to disrupt the money-train by pointing it in a different direction while it's still churning full steam ahead. Stay tuned.