(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Liam Neeson has been replaced by Nick Cassavetes in The Hangover 2.

The 58-year-old actors cameo as a Bangkok tattoo artist in the sequel to the hugely successful comedy has been cut, and Nick Cassavetes has been re-cast in the role.

The scene filmed with Liam has been cut out of the movie and is now being re-shot with Nick instead. Director Todd Phillips has revealed that the casting re-jig was not personal, and that Liam had schedule conflicts that meant he couldnt commit to a re-shoot. The filmmaker says he cut Liams original scene during editing, which created a gap in the sequence of events. Liam was already busy in London shooting the follow-up to Clash of the Titans, when re-shooting had been re-scheduled. So they were forced to bring in another actor to film the scenes.

"We were in a complete time crunch, so I called Nick [Cassavetes] and asked if he would do the part," he told Variety. "He came in and crushed it, and that is the scene that you will ultimately see in the film."

Liam was cast as a tattoo artist in the movie, who encounters the film's comic trio, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, in Thailand.

The Hollywood star originally replaced Mel Gibson when the cast and crew reportedly objected to working with the controversial actor. (C) Cover Media