It’s an exciting time for the Ocean’s franchise — following OG star George Clooney confirming that Ocean’s 14 is still in development and will potentially begin filming next year, a major shift has happened with the planned Ocean’s Eleven prequel. The prequel, which would be set in Europe in the 1960s, was first announced in 2022 with Margot Robbie attached to produce and star.
Robbie’s Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling was also reportedly in talks to join the cast. However, sources now tell Deadline that Bradley Cooper is in negotiations to join the cast, with no mention of Gosling being made. While Gosling has seemingly exited the project, Twisters’ Lee Isaac Chung is still directing.
Cooper has reportedly been close with Robbie for years and long wanted to work with her; the two Oscar nominees have yet to star in any movies together. This news comes ahead of Bradley’s next directorial venture, the comedy Is This Thing On? starring himself, Will Arnett, and Laura Dern, hitting theaters on December 19.
In prestige filmmaking, Cooper is also known for starring in and/or directing American Sniper, A Star Is Born, Silver Linings Playbook, and Maestro. Following her breakout with The Wolf of Wall Street, Robbie’s star power has only grown, leading to the cultural phenomenon of Barbie. Following her success as a producer on this project, especially, Robbie has the leeway to take on properties like Ocean’s Eleven.
The heist film series has been a Hollywood and fan-favorite for decades; though the franchise started with 1960’s Ocean’s Eleven, it found new life when Steven Soderbergh helmed the 2001 version. This would lead to two sequels, 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve and 2007’s Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as 2018’s spinoff Ocean’s Eight later on.
The franchise has also always been a magnet for A-list talent: the stars of the Ocean’s movies include Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Al Pacino, and many more. Robbie and Cooper will fit right in on this roster, though it remains unclear what Gosling’s status is; Cooper may be taking on the role Gosling was considering.
Gosling is also currently filming Star Wars: Starfighter, with the Ocean’s prequel having no set release date, as it has been stalled in development for a few years now. However, Robbie now seemingly has the time to focus on this project, with production on Wuthering Heights having been completed — so we may see an exciting new heist movie sooner than we think.
- Cast
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George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Eddie Jemison, Carl Reiner, Qin Shaobo, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna
- Movie(s)
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Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, Ocean’s Eight
- Character(s)
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Danny Ocean, Rusty Ryan, Linus Caldwell, Terry Benedict, Tess Ocean, Basher Tarr, Virgil Malloy, Turk Malloy, Reuben Tishkoff, Livingston Dell, Saul Bloom, Yen (Ocean’s), Deborah Ocean, Lou Miller, Rose Weil, Daphne Kluger, Nine Ball