Writing the sequel to The Hangover, the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, should be as easy as popping the top on an ice cold brewsky. Booze + hotel room + Zach Galifianakis = wackiness ensues, right? If only it was that easy...

Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in The Hangover Part II.

Scot Armstrong on the set of The Hangover Part II.

Writing the the sequel to The Hangover, the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, should be as easy as popping the top on an ice cold brewsky. Booze + hotel room + Zach Galifianakis = wackiness ensues, right?

If only it was that easy, says Scot Armstrong (Old School, Semi-Pro, Starsky & Hutch, The Heartbreak Kid) and Craig Mazin (Superhero Movie, Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4). They co-wrote The Hangover Part II with director Todd Phillips. "It was a little daunting," says Mazin of the experience. "We knew we had to follow something extraordinary."

Craig Mazin sitting on the banks of the Chao Praya River in Bangkok during filming of The Hangover Part II

And, writing is risky to start, Armstrong adds. "Every time you have a blank page and blinking cursor, you're jumping off a cliff." But they decided to do it. Jump off the cliff. In Bangkok. With the wolfpack.

The result: a wacky misadventure with a surprise around every corner. Script sat down with Armstrong and Mazin to talk jet lag, food poisoning, sweating and being the portable rewrite team on that followed Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms around Thailand.

Podcast highlights:

* How do you begin? "With panic and fear."

* Pleasing fans: "People care about it in a way that makes them angry if you fumble the ball."

* Being on set: "There is no substitute for writing a scene where you're shooting."

* Taking a chance: "A screenplay is a big shot in the dark. You just don't know."

* Going darker: "Everything is funnier when you feel a little afraid."

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