Bradley Cooper is open about finding ways to make more money, but he’s pushing his luck by demanding $20 million for The Hangover 4 – as costars bite their fingers and fret they could miss out due to his greedy demands, a high-level source, who worked on all three previous Hangovers, exclusively tells In Touch.
“Can Bradley move heaven and earth and get a fourth Hangover movie made in 2025?” the source asks. “Yes.”
“He is highly respected and his public willingness to return to the franchise that made him a superstar is a big deal for Warner Bros. and for Bradley’s pals in the cast and on the crew.”
The trilogy, which was released in 2009, 2011 and 2013, has grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide in the 15 years since the first movie’s release and embedded a deluge of quotes and comebacks famous to the franchise in modern culture.
Still, that doesn’t mean the fourth installment of the series will have a blank-check budget.
“The issue was, is and continues to be around salaries and budget,” the source confirms. “Does a $90 million Hangover 4 make sense? Yes. Does a $175 million Hangover 4 make sense — no way in hell.”
While Bradley, 49, became the breakout star of the original movie, the other two costars feel they’ve done their part carrying the franchise to the billion-dollar end zone.
“The big problem here is that all three leads, Bradley, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis each made $15 million-plus for the third movie in the series, and that was 10 years ago,” the source says. “They all quite reasonably want and deserve raises if there’s a reunion.”
The actors that portray the trio of terrible friends aren’t alone in Hollywood, as star salaries skyrocket as of late. Joaquin Phoenix managed to lock in $20 million for The Joker 2. Leonardo DiCaprio demanded $30 million to team back up with director Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon. Robert Downey Jr. secured $80 million to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom. And Tom Cruise banked an eye-watering $100 million from Top Gun: Maverick.
“Suddenly this becomes a very expensive proposition, especially for an R-rated comedy in 2025,” the source tells. “If Bradley wants this bad enough, he’s going to have to help everybody get creative with the deal making and he’s going to have to make sure the script, which doesn’t exist yet, is top-drawer.”
With a net worth of upwards of $120 million, the Maestro star’s deal-making prowess seems limitless. He previously passed on an upfront salary for his performance in A Star Is Born, opting instead to take his piece out of the back end through ticket sales and streaming rights. Still, working out the exact numbers for the next Hangover could jam up the whole process, our source says.
“These sound like simple obstacles, but they’re not. Bradley has his eye on the prize, which is another eight-figure payday, but I’m not sure he has the roadmap yet for exactly how to get there.”
