X17online has obtained the first, exclusive photos of Liam Neeson on the set of Battleship! The movie doesn't come out until May 2012 -- almost a full year from now -- and pictures from set have been kept under wraps!

Neeson plays Admiral Shane in the movie, which is based on the classic board game. Also starring in the film are Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna!

See more pics after the jump and in our gallery below!

After famously replacing Mel Gibson in the popular movie sequel when castmembers objected, Liam Neeson has been cut from The Hangover Part II.

Neeson had already shot his scenes as a Bangkok tattoo artist, but due to scheduling conflicts, the actor had to be replaced himself when the film was forced to do re-shoots.

Director Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) was called in at the last minute when Liam's work on The Clash of the Titans sequel prohibited him from participating.

“We were in a complete time crunch so I called up Nick and asked if he would do the part,” The film's director Todd Phillips told Variety. “He came in and crushed it and that is the scene that you will ultimately see in the film. [I’m excited for everyone] to see the film. It turned out great.”

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

Unknown star Liam Neeson stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote his upcoming film, and revealed some exciting info for all you Hangover fans who may be skeptical about the sequel.

Neeson, who famously replaced Mel Gibson in the role of a tattoo artist, tells Ellen:

Ellen: Is this true - Are you in Hangover 2? Is that right? Liam: I'm in Hangover 2 if they keep the scene in, yeah. Ellen: I pray it's as good as the first one because that movie was so good. Liam: Well, the guys are telling me - Bradley Cooper is a buddy of mine and says, "It's actually better than the first." So we shall see. Ellen: Bradley Cooper is your friend? Liam: Bradley is a buddy. Yeah, we were in The A-Team together. Ellen: That's right. He's a great guy. Liam: Yeah, he's terrific. Ellen: And a decent poker player. Liam: And he's not too shabby on the eyes either. Ellen: He's easy to look at.

We agree, Bradley Cooper is dreamy, and we're glad to hear Neeson is keeping busy with work, considering his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, died in a freak skiing accident almost two years ago. The Battleship star recently told Esquire Magazine on loosing Natasha:

"It's easy enough to plan jobs, to plan a lot of work. That's effective. But that's the weird thing about grief. You can't prepare for it. You think you're gonna cry and get it over with. You make those plans, but they never work. It hits you in the middle of the night -- well, it hits me in the middle of the night. I'm out walking. I'm feeling quite content. And it's like suddenly, boom. It's like you've just done that in your chest."

Loosing a loved one is never easy, we're just glad it hasn't stopped the Academy Award winner from doing what he loves.

Find out what Neeson reportedly tattoos on a Hangover 2 character, after the jump …

After Mel Gibson's role in The Hangover sequel got the ax, Liam Neeson tells Variety that he will now be taking over the part.

"I just got a call to do a one-day shoot on Hangover 2 as a tattooist in Thailand, and that's all I know about it," Neeson says. "I just laughed my leg off when I saw The Hangover, I was shooting in Berlin earlier this year and rented it on the hotel TV."

Neeson's A-Team co-star Bradley Cooper (who starred in the first Hangover film) was the one who brought him on board, and Neeson has already left his New York home to shoot the role. Can't wait to see him play a quirky tattoo artist!

Actress Natasha Richardson was hospitalized in Montreal yesterday after suffering a serious head injury in a skiing accident. Her husband, actor Liam Neeson, left the set of his latest film, Chloe and rushed to her side.

Richardson was taken to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien and then transferred to Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal in the early evening, according to Irish Central, which first reported the accident.

A rep for the film told the website, "Liam Neeson left the Toronto set immediately to fly to Montreal upon news of his wife's accident. We do not have any details at this time, but we hope for the best and our thoughts and prayers are with Natasha and Liam and their family."

Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.

The 56-year-old Irish actor takes a dip in the water in Saint-Tropez this past weekend... but is his beach bod as hot as Lisa Rinna's?