THE HANGOVER PART 3 Set Visit Recap

Just before Thanksgiving of last year, I took a little trip to Tijuana. Then things got a little fuzzy. I came to in a flophouse in the middle of nowhere and found myself with a front row seat to an out-of-control cock fight. Blanket-draped chicken crates were stacked all around the seedy hotel room, which was quiet until Alan crashed into them ... then all Hell broke loose. Roosters took flight in the confined space and attacked anything they could get their talons on. Unfortunately, that happened to be Phil and Stu's faces. Then, to make matters worse, Mr. Chow busted in and started firing a gun at the flying menaces, narrowly missing his friends. After his clip ran out, director Todd Phillips yelled, "Cut! Reset!" and the cast and crew broke into laughter.

Rather than take to the dangerous streets of Tijuana itself (where someone might kidnap poor Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper), this particular scene of The Hangover Part III was staged on a Warner Bros. studio set. The safety of the location certainly didn't negatively impact the crazy performances of Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Ken Jeong at all. Roosters and bullets were definitely flying, though not all of them were real. The excitement on set from everyone involved in the trilogy's concluding chapter was, however, quite genuine. The Hangover Part III opens on May 24th; you can watch the most recent trailer here. I'll have set visit interviews with the cast, writer and director coming up, but hit the jump for 45 things to know about the upcoming film.

the-hangover-3-zach-galifianakis-bradley-cooper-ed-helms

Check out all the things you need to know about The Hangover Part III below:

Cooper says that his character Phil is the trilogy’s constant who has it all figured out.
The entire cast and creative team seemed genuinely excited to be working together again on this concluding film, especially considering how much each of their careers has changed since The Hangover.
Cooper enjoyed returning to Las Vegas, not only because it ties up the story really well, but because the town is “completely indifferent to anything that happens there. It’s wonderful.”
The Hangover Part III is Alan’s story and an attempt to help him because he is a “deeply disturbed person.”
Cooper says that the relationship between Phil and Alan is “closer, but it has its peaks and valleys in this movie.”
The rooster scene in Tijuana takes place towards the beginning of the film.
Cooper commented on the fact that Part III doesn’t focus on the hook of a lost night, but rather the characters and their relationship to each other.
Todd Phillips has a specific vision and allows some improvisation but it’s actually within very tight parameters.
Cooper and Galifianakis got to know each other on a drive to Vegas. After they all spent time in Thailand together for the second movie, they ended up hanging out for the following New Year’s festivities.
Director Phillips and writer Craig Mazin knew that Part III was going to be a true conclusion that dealt with the unfinished business of their characters and resolved it in a way to let them move on with their lives.
The Hangover Part III takes place in Los Angeles, Tijuana, the Mojave Desert and Las Vegas, though it begins and ends in Los Angeles.
The Tijuana scenes were shot in Nogales, Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Something happens in the first film that has a loose end, which is tied off in The Hangover Part III.
Writer Mazin calls Part III “a bit of a chase movie” that features Mr. Chow (Jeong) who needs to be found, but also parts heist movie, road trip and coming-of-age story.
This film is much less about drinking, partying and amnesia than it is about unfinished business.
According to Mazin, “People die…not everybody lives. We don’t mess around.”
Part III will feature some time at home with Alan’s family.
Mazin says the third film is darker but more realistic and ultimately uplifting.
Justin Bartha’s character is more involved in this film, but “tragically so” according to Mazin.
Bartha’s character, Doug, has an “interesting encounter” with John Goodman’s character.
John Goodman plays “a dangerous man” and has always been in the Hangover movies in a way. He’s “a dark presence that’s been lingering.”
Galifianakis says that “Alan is the catalyst for things to go wrong and this movie is Alan coping with the things that he’s done wrong and coming to grips with that.”
The filmmakers give a lot of thought to Alan’s costume, including a shirt with horizontal stripes to make him appear fatter.
Alan is without a sidekick in Part III, ie no baby or monkey.
Galifianakis isn’t a method actor, he’s “crystal method.”
Galifianakis hopes to make the audience cry one second and laugh the next.
Phillips reveals that Part III is not about Alan breaking out of a mental institution.
Phillips’ personal favorite tagline for the movie would be one of Mr. Chow’s lines: “And then…everything went black.”
Phillips says that Part III has “a pretty epic open.”
Heather Graham will make a reappearance in the conclusion along with some other characters. Phillips himself will make a brief cameo as Mr. Creepy who’s “up to no good again for no reason.”
The Hangover Part III actually features two Oscar-nominees: Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook and Phillips for his screenwriting work on Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Even though the Wolfpack is in Tijuana, they’re not there for a party but rather getting information on a lead.
Jeong was only on set for four days in the first film and spends quite a bit more time for the third film; he’s quick to show his gratitude to the filmmakers for kick-starting his career.
Jeong says that Chow gets a lot more depth as “a fully realized and layered character.”
The cast all praised costume designer Louise Mingenbach. During the set visit, Jeong was wearing boots, a snakeskin vest, jeans, a cotton shirt, a watch and a ton of rings; Galifianakis was wearing khakis and a blue-striped shirt for this particular scene.
Helms' character Stu got a pretty infamous facial tattoo in the last film. That hasn’t been forgotten or overlooked and will make an appearance in the conclusion.
The set also featured an extensive underground stone tunnel construction, but no one gave us any indication as to what it would be used for.
Jeong gets to do a lot of action in this film and worked with stunt coordinator Jack Gill (Total Recall).
Jeong’s famous jump out of the trunk of the car in the first film was apparently his idea. His stunt double Phil Tan actually jumped out of the trunk and the ice machine.
Jeong once had a middle-aged man shout “Toodle-oo, motherfucker!” at him in Chow’s voice before driving away.
Helms calls the relationship between Alan and Phil a “bromance,” while Alan and Stu have “more of an Odd Couple sort of thing going on.”
Helms calls Stu “a punching bag” and hopes that audiences will see his tattoo scar since he undergoes an extra hour of makeup for it every morning.
Helms calls the end of the film and trilogy “really fun and elegant.”
Stu is a little bit cooler this time around, owing to his new bride, but Helms will still channel the Stu from the first two movies.
Helms got seriously sick in Thailand but loves traveling to new places.