With a breakout film role in Bridesmaids and a successful sitcom on US TV, you might wonder why Melissa McCarthy even needs to pop up for a small appearance in The Hangover 3. But if the schedules can be worked out, that’s exactly her plan.

Showing up in what is likely to be yet another juggernaut in the successful comedy franchise won’t exactly hurt her career, and she’s certainly got the comic chops to match wits (or should it be halfwits, given the usual behaviour of the Wolf Pack?) with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis.

There’s no word yet on what she’ll be doing in the movie even if the dates work out, but it’s only going to be a brief role.

Todd Phillips and the gang are busy shooting the third Hangover right now, with franchise regulars Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha, Sasha Barrese, Gilliam Vigman, Mike Tyson and Jeffrey Tambor joined this time around by John Goodman and, returning for the first time since the original, Heather Graham.

This time around, the plan is to switch things up by ditching the usual wedding / bachelor party format (thank goodness!) and instead having the boys head out on a road trip. Where, we’re pretty certain, bad things will happen. There has also been talk of Galifianakis’ Alan needing to be sprung from an institution.

The third Hangover will (dis)grace our screens on May 24 next year. Before that, McCarthy will show up in This Is 40 and in Identity Thief opposite Jason Bateman. She’s also just finished working on cop comedy The Heat with Sandra Bullock.