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It would be weird for fans to see Todd Phillips back to direct the Wolfpack members on another adventure gone wrong. The Hangover was a film that worked on a particular formula, that has been used over and over again in its sequels and other similar comedy films. While Bradley Cooper may want to go down his comedy roots again with a fourth film, it just doesn’t make any sense at this point.
A still from Todd Phillips’ The Hangover | Credits: Legendary PicturesThe original film starred Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha as the four protagonists who always end up in a hangover mess when they get together. While the first film became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy at the time, the two sequels failed to live up to the original.
Todd Phillips Returning To The Hangover 4 Would Be a Significant Downgrade
Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover Part II | Credits: Legendary PicturesTodd Phillips‘ career began in the 1990s and his first directorial venture happened in 2000. He directed the s*x comedy film, Road Trip. While the film was not a hit among critics, it went on to become a cult film over the years. His subsequent films starred some of the most iconic comedy actors like Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson.
However, his most famous comedy film was the Hangover series, which grossed $1.42 billion at the box office (via The Numbers). The first film was a critical and commercial success, something, the second and third films failed to achieve. However, the film was never supposed to be a franchise in the first place.
Phillips moved on from the Hangover series to a black comedy crime film, War Dogs. It was a step up considering his earlier raunchy comedy films. After the 2016 film, his next film came three years later, which marked a significant shift in his usual genre of films. He came out with the biggest success of his career, Joker, which won the Best Actor Oscar for its lead Joaquin Phoenix.
Interestingly, Bradley Cooper was a producer of the film. He took another five years to make the sequel to the DC film, Joker: Folie à Deux, which hit theaters now. Phillips is next set to direct a film based on Hulk Hogan, starring Chris Hemsworth, with Cooper producing the film once again.
With his career graph in the industry, it is highly unlikely that Phillips would return to a fourth Hangover film. Phillips has outgrown the type of genre that the Hangover series belongs to. Moreover, he has a personal reason not to make The Hangover 4. During a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair, he shared that he had stopped making comedy films due to the backlash of woke culture.
Bradley Cooper Is Interested In Returning to The Hangover Films
Bradley Cooper with Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms in The Hangover Part III | Credits: Legendary PicturesBradley Cooper also took a path similar to that of Todd Phillips when it came to his acting roles. He moved into more serious roles after The Hangover and even stepped into the director’s shoes for A Star is Born and Maestro. He is an Oscar contender both as an actor and filmmaker. Yet, he shared that he would take on the role in a potential fourth Hangover film in an instant.
During his appearance on The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast, host David Remnick mistakenly asked him if he would do Hangover 5. He shared that he would do the film, but corrected the host that he would have to do Hangover 4 first. He shared:
I would probably do Hangover 4 in an instant. Just because I love Todd [Phillips], I love Zach [Galifianakis], I love Ed [Helms] so much, I probably would.
However, even Cooper doesn’t believe that the film will ever happen. He shared, “I don’t think Todd’s ever going to do that.” It is probably for the best as the cast and the director would never recreate the magic that they had created in the first film.
The Hangover films are now available for rent on AppleTV.
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