Confirmed: Liam Neeson’s ‘Hangover Part II’ Cameo Axed From Sequel, Replaced By ‘The Notebook’ Director

Don’t look for Liam Neeson’s name in “The Hangover Part II’s” credits – the perrenial leading man’s cameo has been cut from the upcoming raucous comedy, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. has confirmed to Access Hollywood.

Neeson had filmed scenes as a tattoo artist for the Bangkok-based sequel, but his appearance was recently edited out after the film’s director, Todd Phillips, was forced to do reshoots and the veteran actor was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts, Phillips told Variety.

The former “Taken” star was replaced by Nick Cassavetes – director of “The Notebook,” Variety reports.

“We were in a complete time crunch so I called up Nick and asked if he would do the part,” Phillips explained. “He came in and crushed it and that is the scene that you will ultimately see in the film. [I’m excited for everyone] to see the film. It turned out great.”

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Cassavetes will be the third man cast for the ink artist cameo, as Liam originally stepped in to fill the role for Mel Gibson — who was axed from the film in October 2010 after members of the cast and crew complained about his involvement.

“I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of Jeff Robinov and his team. But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew,” Phillips said at the time, in a statement issued to Access Hollywood by Warner Bros.

While Phillips didn’t specify who on the cast may have complained, several reports suggested funnyman Zach Galifianakis may have been leading the anti-Gibson charge, thanks to a recent podcast the comedian did, during which he hinted he was having a dispute on one of his current projects.

“I’m in a deep protest right now with a movie I’m working on, up in arms about something. But I can’t get the guys to [listen]…I’m not making any leeway,” Galifianakis said in a Comedy Death-Ray podcast in October. “A movie you’re acting in, you don’t have a lot of control—you just show up and vomit your lines out.

“It has something to do with a movie I’m working on, yeah. I’ll tell you about it later. It’s very frustrating,” he added.

“The Hangover Part II,” starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha, is slated for theatrical release on May 16.