Wagner Moura to Star as Villain in Bradley Cooper’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven Prequel’

An “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel is set to shoot this summer, with Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper leading the cast. Cooper will also be directing, and Linus Sandgren (“La La Land,” “Saltburn,” “Babylon”) is the cinematographer.

That’s a lot of talent, made even more impressive by today’s addition. Coming off his acclaimed, Oscar-nominated turn in last year’s “The Secret Agent,” Deadline reports that Wagner Moura has joined the cast of “Oceans” as the main villain. If you remember, Benicio del Toro was originally in talks for the role.

Moura, Robbie, and Cooper certainly make for a compelling lineup — and there are still additional cast members yet to be revealed. The film has been in development at Warner Bros. since May 2022; at one point, Ryan Gosling was set to star opposite Robbie, with Jay Roach, and then Lee Isaac Chung attached to direct.

Although plot specifics are said to be “locked,” according to Deadline, Showbiz411’s Roger Friedman previously reported that the film would be titled “Oceans,” with Cooper 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 is described as a stylish, old-school caper inspired by Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief.”

The current screenplay is by Carrie Solomon, who wrote the poorly received 2024 Netflix movie “A Family Affair.” Solomon has no other writing credits listed on her IMDb page.

Cooper is coming off directing the rom-com “Is This Thing On?”—released in December—which was not as ambitious as his first two directorial efforts, “A Star Is Born” or “Maestro.” Rather, it felt more like a pit stop for him: taking a break from Oscar bait and telling a more modest, unassuming story in the process.