The Hangover Part II an exotic location. That's all I know". In January 2010, Phillips dismissed rumors that Zac Efron would join the cast of "The Hangover 2", though Ed Helms stated that Efron would be a welcomed addition, commenting, "I love that guy. He's actually really funny". In March 2010, Phillips denied reports that the film would take place in Mexico or Thailand stating, "I don't know. There's a lot of rumors. There was rumor also that it was going to Mexico or something and neither are true". Also by March, Galifianakis, Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Justin Bartha completed negotiations and signed deals
The Hangover Part II trailer was released online in February 2011. The first full trailer was released in April 2011. Later in the same month Warner Bros. pulled the trailer from theaters for violating an MPAA rule stating that films can only trailer before similarly rated movies. The trailer for the R-rated comedy was being promoted at screenings for the PG-13-rated "Source Code" against MPAA regulations. Warner Bros. released a statement saying, "In our haste to meet the placement schedule for this trailer, we failed to properly vet the final version with the MPAA. We acted immediately to correct the mistake and removed the