Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms set for big Hangover 3 payday

According to THR Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms are on the verge of striking a deal with Warner Bros. to return for The Hangover 3, with each of them getting $15 million.

The actors were initially paid less than $300,000 for the first film; however Warner Bros. gave them a $1 million bonus after it made $467 million worldwide in 2009. They each got $5 million plus a percentage of the first dollar gross for the sequel (arguably a remake), and now they’re set for a $15 million payday not often seen with movies nowadays. The Hangover Part II made nearly $600 million last summer, so Warner Bros. can afford to be generous.

The current plan is to shoot The Hangover 3 this summer and have it ready for a May 2013 release. Director Todd Phillips is currently working on the script, and the intention is to do something different with the characters instead of just having them wake up confused in a new location. Last year Zach Galifianakis said the story may focus on his character escaping from a mental institution with help from the wolf pack, but things could have changed since then.