I started pimping The Hangover on GITS way back in August, 2008, figuring the story concept alone would translate into success at the box office. So it’s not entirely surprising to see this:

Todd Phillips will next direct the road trip comedy “Due Date” and follow one year later with “The Hangover 2.”

The commitments come one day after “The Hangover” crossed the $210 million domestic gross mark and surpassed “Wedding Crashers” to become the second biggest grossing R-rated comedy ever.

Galifianakis will play one of the two leads in “Due Date,” an Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland script that was revised by Adam Sztykiel. In the comedy about fatherhood, an expectant dad and his unlikely travel companion (Galifianakis) race cross-country in hopes of making it home for the birth of his first child.

What is surprising to read is this:

Phillips never wagered as smartly as he did on “The Hangover.” Because he insisted on his cast, WB Pictures Group prexy Jeff Robinov gave him a budget ceiling of $34 million, and the only way Phillips could make that number was to work for scale and use salary and gross to buy his way into being an equity investor.

Had the comedy not covered the studio’s investment in budget and P&A, Phillips would have lost. But Phillips liked his script, had seen Galifianakis 15 times doing standup and felt Helms and Cooper were poised for breakout performances. The gamble gave him slightly more than 15% of the film’s revenue, which makes possible a payday that will be far higher than if he had taken his usual fee.

Speculation is that Phillips may make $35M or more from his equity investment in The Hangover.