Todd Phillips

THE HANGOVER Director Todd Phillips Sets Up Four Possible Directorial Projects at Warner Bros.

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 3:49 pm

Director Todd Phillips quickly became a household name following the smashing success of 2009’s The Hangover. Phillips wasn’t exactly an unknown before the comedy-megahit, as he had success directing raunchy comedies like Old School, Road Trip, and the PG-13 adaptation of Starsky and Hutch, but The Hangover (and its subsequent sequel) allowed the director to have considerable creative control in developing his own projects. The director is currently prepping a third (and likely final) installment of The Hangover, but he recently re-upped his deal with Warner Bros. paving the way for four possible directorial projects at the studio:

• Mule – A young couple turn to drug trafficking in order to make it through the recession.
• Arms and the Dudes – Two stoners make it big in the arms dealing business but then are cleaned out by the government.
• The Island – Plot details unknown, but Due Date’s Adam Sztykiel wrote the script.
• Million Dollar Strong – Feature film version of the YouTube and Funny or Die shorts from Ken Jeong and Mike O’Connell.

Hit the jump for more on Phillips and these four projects.

Check Out 2012 Super Bowl Ads Directed by Peter Berg, Todd Phillips, David Gordon Green, and More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 1:43 pm

The ratings are in, and Super Bowl XLVI just barely edged out last year’s game to rank as the most watched program in television history. Nearly 111.3 million people tuned in to watch the Giants vs. Patriots match-up and, subsequently, a whole lotta advertising. Last night we brought you a compilation of all the movie-related spots that ran during the game (including an extended version of The Avengers ad, which is fantastic), and today we’d like to bring your attention to the actual commercials. While most of us are looking for the cleverest or most laugh-inducing spot when judging these super-sized budgeted ads, quite a few notable filmmakers were actually behind many of last night’s spots.

After the jump you’ll find a compilation of ads directed by Peter Berg, Todd Phillips, David Gordon Green, Craig Gillespie, Bobby Farrelly, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., Lance Acord, Joe Pytka, Jake Scott, Fredrik Bond, Chris Smith, Miguel Arteta, Wayne McClammy, and Noam Murro.

Check out the Extended Version of the Ferris Bueller-Inspired Super Bowl Ad starring Matthew Broderick

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 30th, 2012 at 8:35 am

A few days ago, we showed a sneak peek at the Honda CR-V Super Bowl Ad featuring Matthew Broderick playing off his Ferris Bueller role.  Directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover), the ad is pretty cute and funny, although it has a notable lack of Alan Ruck.  The ad would be perfect if the CR-V belonged to Alan Ruck’s dad, they took it, and then Ruck destroyed it in a fit of cathartic rage at the end.

Hit the jump to check out the ad.  A shorter version will play during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis Near Big Salary Deals for THE HANGOVER 3; May Start Production This Summer

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 9:40 am

It appears The Hangover 3 is inevitable. Shortly after the release of the disappointing The Hangover Part II, director Todd Phillips promised a second sequel that would complete the trilogy. Now, after a long negotiation period, the film’s stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis are close to landing a major pay raise to reprise their roles. The trio are apparently asking for $15 million each (against backend), which is a steep increase from the $5 million each (plus backend) for The Hangover Part II, and under $1 million they received for the first film in the comedy franchise. Hit the jump for more, including how soon The Hangover 3 may hit theaters.

New Trailer for R-rated Comedy PROJECT X from Producer Todd Phillips; Updated with New Poster

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 5:28 pm

If you were a fan of The Hangover but felt that their target demographic was far too old, well you’re in luck! From producer Todd Phillips (The Hangover) comes Project X, high school’s answer to a well-meaning party that gets blown out of control. We brought you the first trailer for the film way back in November, but as this is a new year, of course we have a new trailer for you!

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, the film stars Thomas Mann, Miles Teller, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Dax Flame, Nichole O’Connor, and Alexis Knapp. Project X opens March 12th, 2012. Hit the jump to check out the trailer and a new poster.

New Images and Official Synopses for PROJECT X, BULLET TO THE HEAD, ROCK OF AGES and THE APPARITION

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: December 25th, 2011 at 12:52 pm

Warner Bros. has released new images and official synopses for director Nima Nourizadeh‘s Project X, Walter Hill‘s Bullet to the Head, Adam Shankman‘s Rock of Ages, and Todd Lincoln‘s The Apparition.  While we’ve already seen an extremely funny trailer for Project X (which was produced by Todd Phillips) and a mediocre first trailer for Rock of Ages, WB has yet to release any footage from Bullet to the Head (which stars a shirtless Sylvester Stallone) and The Apparition (which was originally scheduled for release last year).  With these first images being released, I’d imagine we’ll be getting the first trailers very soon.  As a big fan of Walter Hill (48 Hours, Brewster’s Millions, The Warriors, The Driver), I’m really hoping Bullet to the Head is awesome.  Hit the jump for more.

Bradley Cooper Says THE HANGOVER PART III Starts Filming in September; Story Will Take Place in Los Angeles

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 5th, 2011 at 11:47 am

When The Hangover Part II was released back in May, director Todd Phillips told Steve that The Hangover: Part III “would very much a finale and an ending,” and that the story wasn’t “in the same template you’ve seen these movies.”  Putting aside the criticism that they shouldn’t have reused the template for Part II in the first place, it’s good to know that the finale will try something new.  Bradley Cooper was recently on The Graham Norton Show and confirmed Phillips’ previous statements.  He also provided some new details on the upcoming sequel.  Hit the jump for more.

Warner Bros. Sets Release Date Walter Hill’s BULLET TO THE HEAD Starring Sylvester Stallone, Moves Todd Phillips-produced PROJECT X to March

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: August 23rd, 2011 at 4:20 pm

We’ve got a couple of Warner Bros. release date stories for you today. First up, Deadline reports that the studio has set director Walter Hill’s adaptation of the graphic novel Bullet to the Head for release on April 13, 2012, opposite the Joss Whedon-penned Cabin in the Woods. The film stars Sylvester Stallone and centers on a New Orleans hitman who teams up with a Gotham cop to hunt down those responsible for the deaths of their respective partners. The film also stars Sung Kang and Sarah Shahi.

Additionally, the studio has moved the low-budget raunchy comedy Project X from November to March 2, 2012, where it will go toe-to-toe with Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. The college-set film was put together secretly with a cast of mostly unknowns, and no one seems to know anything about the plot thus far. However, we can safely assume that he flick will be a hard R with Todd Phillips onboard as producer.

Todd Phillips to Produce and Possibly Direct ARMS AND DUDES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 25th, 2011 at 5:03 pm

Director Todd Phillips’ (The Hangover Part II) production company Green Hat Films has optioned the rights to the Rolling Stone article Arms and Dudes. Written by Guy Lawson, the article centers on two young guys who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to supply America’s allies in Afghanistan with munitions. After 85 deliveries to the war-torn country worth over $66 million, their Miami offices were raided by federal agents and the two were charged with 71 counts of fraud.

Variety reports that Phillips is producing the project with an eye towards directing. He hasn’t settled on his next directorial outing following The Hangover Part II yet, so if a script turns up quickly Arms and Dudes could be a possibility. Click over to Rolling Stone to read Lawson’s article in its entirety.

Craig Mazin to Write THE HANGOVER PART III

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 31st, 2011 at 2:05 pm

The Hangover Part II co-writer Craig Mazin has been hired to write the script for The Hangover Part III.  Warner Bros. is wasting no time in moving forward on a sequel to the box-office record-breaker and I’m honestly a little surprised that they hadn’t already started moving on a new film when the Hangover 2 was tracking through the roof.  Mazin, whose previous credits include Scary Movie 3 and 4, co-wrote The Hangover Part II with director Todd Phillips and screenwriter Scot Armstrong (Semi-Pro), although “wrote” may not be the best way to describe it.  I’m not sure if copy-pasting the script from the first film and making minor changes counts as “writing”.

When Steve spoke with Phillips during the press junket for Hangover Part II, Phillips said that Part III would be the finale to the series but would be a new template and a new idea.  Hit the jump for his full quote.  [The Tracking Board via The Wrap]

THE HANGOVER PART II Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 25th, 2011 at 7:57 pm

The original Hangover hit like a bolt from the blue.  Good R-rated comedies are few and far between (although this summer we’ll be getting a bunch of R-rated comedies, but there’s no telling how many will actually be good) and the 2009 comedy brought enough surprises into its fast-paced narrative that the concept of blending a detective story with raunchy laughs worked like a charm.  It’s ironic that The Hangover Part II bases so many of its jokes on shock value and yet clings so dearly to the exact same formula of the original, right down to the plot beats and character actions.  More of the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing and the sequel still manages to deliver laughs, but the stale stench of been-there, done-that pervades the entire film despite the vibrant background of Bangkok.

Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong and Director Todd Phillips Talk THE HANGOVER PART II

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 24th, 2011 at 2:22 pm

With director Todd Phillips The Hangover Part II opening this weekend, I recently participated in a press conference with Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong and Phillips in Los Angeles.  As most of you know, the sequel puts the guys in Thailand for Stu’s wedding and they’re again forced to try and figure out what happened the night before.

During the press conference, the group talked about the challenges of filming in Thailand, where to go in Bangkok, what were they able to bring to their characters in the sequel, how did Ang Lee’s son end up in the movie (he plays an important part), why did they use so much Billy Joel music, what’s the status of a third Hangover movie, and a lot more.  Hit the jump either listen to the audio or read the transcript.

New Featurette for THE HANGOVER PART II

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 19th, 2011 at 1:24 pm

Warner Bros. has released a five-minute featurette for The Hangover Part II. I watched it not because I wanted to get a head-start on the jokes or to hear about how the actors had such a fun time making the movie.  I wanted someone to explain how this movie isn’t simply a retreat of the first film.  Perhaps some people want more of the same and that’s fine, but a change of setting and some new shenanigans may not be enough to carry the movie.  I get incredibly nervous every time I hear Stu say “I can’t believe this is happening again!”  Unfortunately, this featurette features no explanation and it actually has a potentially major spoiler if you’re checking the background for a certain character.

But if you want to hear the cast talk about how the movie is better without scaring off the people who are afraid of getting anything different from their sequels, then hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis.  The Hangover Part II opens May 26th.

2 Clips from THE HANGOVER PART 2

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 18th, 2011 at 1:44 pm

Warner Bros. has released two clips from director Todd Phillips The Hangover Part 2.  The first clip shows Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms waking up in a hotel room. The second clip shows the guys in a car chase in Bangkok with Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) and a monkey.  Check out the footage after the jump.

Director Todd Phillips Talks THE HANGOVER PART 3; Says It Would be the Finale

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 18th, 2011 at 12:16 pm

With the success of the first Hangover movie and the tracking for The Hangover Part 2 looking like it’s going to open huge, it’s no surprise at today’s Hangover 2 press conference that the cast and filmmakers would be asked about a third movie.  While I thought director Todd Phillips would try to avoid the question and say something to deflect from the possibility, he actually revealed that he has an idea for a third movie and “it’s certainly not in the same template you’ve seen these movies.”  He went on to say “the third would very much a finale and an ending.”  More after the jump.

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