Just as quickly as he was out, his replacement is in.
A day after complaints from the cast and crew (ahem, Zach Galifianakis) caused producers to ax Mel Gibson's appearance in the long-awaited Hangover 2, veteran thesp Liam Neeson has been announced as his replacement.
That is, as long as the cast and crew don't have any objections...
Neeson's rep coyly confirmed to E! News that the star would be joining the film, stating everything was a go "pending clearance of cast and crew background check."
Speaking with Daily Variety, Neeson credited his A-Team costar and Hangover 2 headliner Bradley Cooper with extending the invitation to appear in a cameo as a Bangkok tattoo artist following Gibson's sudden departure.
"I just got a call to do a one day shoot on Hangover 2 as a tattooist in Thailand, and that's all I know about it," Neeson told Variety. "I just laughed my leg off when I saw The Hangover. I was shooting in Berlin earlier this year and rented it on the hotel TV."
Neeson has already arrived in Los Angeles to start filming. The Hangover 2 is set to hit theaters May 26, 2011.