Warner Bros. Dates 'The Hangover 3', '300' Sequel For 2013

Good Lord. It seems 2013 has shaped up as the year of the sequel square-off.

Warner Bros. has shifted some potentially lucrative sequels into duels with follow-ups next year, reports Deadline. Most importantly, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms will now throw down with Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Paul Walker when "The Hangover 3" meets "Fast 6" on May 5, 2013.

Just as interestingly, the "300" sequel "300: Battle Of Artemesia" will bow August 2. Its competition that weekend? Summit will offer up its sequel to the Bruce Willis/Morgan Freeman/Helen Mirren action-comedy "RED" and Sony will put out "The Smurfs 2". As far as anyone can tell, this probably marks the first time that little blue people, the elderly and battling, half-clothed Spartans have battled for box office supremacy.

Finally, a third major Warner Bros. title that's been moved isn't a sequel, but it will also be competing against one. Since announcing it, the studio has moved Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim" from first July 17 to May 10, then to July 12. The film casts Idris Elba and Charlie Day among a future wherein humanity unites against destructive, malevolent creatures. Of all the films it could possibly meet that weekend, it will face off against "Grown Ups 2", the sequel to Adam Sandler's 2010 comedy team-up with Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Salma Hayek.

There's a much longer list of huge sequels than simply these hitting theaters between May and August that year. "Iron Man 3" hits theaters May 3, just a few days before "The Hangover 3" and "Fast 6". J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek 2" hits theaters May 17.

Meanwhile, "Grown Ups 2" and "Pacific Rim" will face indirect competition from "Despicable Me 2", which opens July 3. Elsewhere in that sacred four-month run of movies, multiplexes will be populated by "Superman: Man of Steel", "The Wolverine", "Jurassic Park", "Dirty Dancing" and "RoboCop".