An “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel was originally set to shoot in late 2023, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling leading the cast. Jay Roach was directing, and Linus Sandgren (“La La Land,” “Saltburn,” “Babylon”) was lensing.
Two years, and many delays later, the project has undergone a major change behind the camera: Roach is out, and “Twisters” director Lee Isaac Chung is now on board. It’s unclear whether Robbie and Gosling are still attached, though there’s been no indication they’ve exited either.
Formerly acclaimed for “Minari,” Chung now seems to be sticking with mainstream filmmaking. Whatever pays, I guess. He went the blockbuster route with “Twisters,” which grossed over $370M worldwide this summer, and recently closed a deal with Skydance to direct “The Traveler,” a feature adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Joseph Eckert.
The ‘Ocean’s’ prequel screenplay is still penned by Carrie Solomon—that hasn’t changed. Showbiz411’s Roger Friedman previously reported that the film would be titled “Oceans,” with Gosling and Robbie playing the parents of Danny Ocean, the character portrayed by George Clooney in Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven.”
In the film, the Oceans will teach their children, young Danny and Debbie (the latter originally played by Sandra Bullock), the art of stealing from the rich. Set against the backdrop of the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, the project was described as a stylish, old-school caper inspired by Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief.”
The ‘Ocean’s’ franchise peaked with its first installment, both commercially and creatively. Its 2004 sequel, “Ocean’s Twelve,” veered into a messy, self-aware experiment, while 2007’s “Ocean’s Thirteen” course-corrected by returning to the slick, crowd-pleasing formula of the original.
And then there was the all-female spin-off, “Ocean’s 8.” If you barely remember it, you’re not alone. The film underperformed enough for Warner Bros. to shelve that iteration of the franchise and start fresh.