Steven Soderbergh Says He Won’t Be Directing ‘Ocean’s 14’: “It Doesn’t Feel Like A Move Forward For Me”

When George Clooney confirmed that there was a script for “Ocean’s 14,” speculation rose as to whether Steven Soderbergh would want to direct the fourth film of the franchise.

In December, The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez had his sources telling him that Soderbergh will most likely not be coming back to direct Clooney, Pitt and company.

Now, we have Soderbergh himself confirming that he will definitely not be returning for ‘Ocean’s 14.’ He claims, justly so, that the series has “been there and done that” and that there’s nothing left for him to add:

After we made the third movie, I felt like the series was very much concluded for me. When the studio approached me to see if I’d be involved in continuing the franchise, I told them no, because it just doesn’t feel like a move forward for me […] I’m chasing something else.

In 2021, “Ocean’s” actor Don Cheadle had stated that Soderbergh was thinking about making another one …

We were talking about it [after ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’], and then Bernie [Mac] passed, and very quickly we were like, ‘No, we don’t want to do it. But I just did a movie with Stephen and he said, ‘I think there may be a way to do it again. I’m thinking about it.’ And it didn’t go much further than that. But I don’t know; I don’t know who all would be in it. I imagine the main group of us would be in. It would be interesting to see.

Soderbergh’s doing his own thing these days, continuously experimenting with genres and filmmaking techniques. His latest one is a psychological horror film (“Presence”) that’s set to premiere at this coming January’s Sundance Film Festival.

So, who will replace Soderbergh? Surely, Clooney has thought about it. As you might have noticed with the last few films he’s helmed, Clooney ain’t Soderbergh, then again he used to direct good movies, “Good Night and Good Luck,” “Confessions of A Dangerous Mind,” and “The Ides of March” spring to mind.

Clooney actually wrote the ‘Oceans 14’ script with producing partner Grant Heslov. So, Clooney seems to be the brains of the operation to revive this franchise. However, I would bet he’d want to give directing reigns to another filmmaker while he works out the on-screen charms with Pitt, Damon and Roberts.