Now that [article id="1650584"]Mel Gibson[/article] is officially out of "The Hangover 2," the busy bees at Warner Bros. Pictures have been scrambling to replace their high-profile celeb cameo with another big name. According to

target="_blank">Variety, the studio is going after A-list actor Liam Neeson for the role.

A source close to the production confirmed to MTV News that the "Taken" actor is at the top of the studio's wishlist, but added that a few other established names have been circulating as well: Robin Williams and Kurt Russell.

There is no word on whether the cameo role is the same one Gibson was supposed to play (a tattoo artist), only that Warner Bros. is "very happy" with the script and wants a veteran actor to fill the now-high profile cameo.

Director Todd Phillips said in a statement recently that he wanted Gibson in the film, but that not everyone agreed with the casting.

"I thought Mel would have been great in the movie," Phillips said in a statement. "And I had the full backing of [WB President] 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."

"Hangover" breakout star Zach Galifianakis reportedly was the most upset with Gibson's cameo and hinted to Comedy Death-Ray Radio host Scott Aukerman that he was upset about a recent turn of events related to a film on which he's currently working.

"But a movie you're acting in, you don't have a lot of control: You just show up and vomit your lines out," Galifianakis said. "I'm not the boss. 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."

Tell us who you want to see in "The Hangover 2" in the comments below!

Check out everything we've got on "Hangover 2."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more -- updated around the clock -- visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.