The interesting thing about the big strike that's looming is that it's causing all these filmmakers to come out of the woodwork and acquire pre-strike gigs with projects nobody's ever heard before. Here's one: Todd Phillips is set to direct and produce Hangover, which is a spec script Warner Bros. just bought from Rebound scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore for $2 million. Sounding like a cross between Bachelor Party, Dude, Where's My Car? and Phillips' own Old School (mostly because I picture that cast in this), the comedy will be about three guys who apparently wake up the morning after a Vegas bachelor party and realize they've lost the groom. So, they have to retrace their steps from the night before and find him before the wedding. According to Variety, Phillips said the premise spoke to him.

Another frat boy farce from Phillips? I'm sold, even if I haven't liked much that he's done since Old School, which was probably my favorite comedy of the early 2000s -- it was at least the one I watched the most times, anyway. As I mentioned, I can totally see the cast of Old School being in Hangover, especially Will Ferrell, since I'm imagining it being Frank the Tank's fault the groom has been "misplaced." Then again, the movie could also work with a young, college-age cast, with say Seann William Scott, who starred in both Phillips' Road Trip (and appears in Old School) and Dude, Where's My Car? I know, I'm just kinda rattling off potential names here, but I'm doing so because in a pre-strike world, this is also what Hollywood is doing -- acting fast and thinking quickly in order to lock things into place a.s.a.p.

After going nowhere with Disney, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past got nabbed by New Line, and it was over a year ago that the company was trying to get Matthew McConaughey to star. At the pace of a snail, the pieces are coming together. In February, The House of Yes and Just Like Heaven helmer Mark Waters had signed on to direct, from a script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Now, according to Variety, Jennifer Garner is in talks to co-star in an unspecified role. To recap -- the film will focus on a womanizer who gets haunted by 'ghosts' of his past, present, and future girlfriends while at the wedding of his younger brother. These apparitions lead him to realize that he's in love with his childhood sweetheart.

I imagine that means Garner is the sweetheart, although she could be the new sister-in-law, or a ghostly shepherd that herds the beings in and out of the guy's head. I really hope this flick is worth it, but I don't have much hope. I'm quite sure it will be a fluff success, but it would be really nice if it could be a substantial, fun, and worthy comedy. Or, even a decent one -- 13 Going on 30 wasn't a flawless movie, but it was a welcome change from the usual fare, and it had a killer Thriller recreation. Furthermore, Garner has been involving herself in some solid work lately, like The Kingdom and the hugely-buzzed Juno, so it would be a waste to tarnish those stints with a stinker of a cinema cherry. We'll have to wait a while to find out, however -- production won't get in gear until January.