The blueprint behind the Ocean’s Eleven franchise is a simple one, really: take a bunch of beautiful, talented actors, stick them in sleek suits, and have them commit über-stylish heists in luxe locales. This extends back to the 1960 original, with the Rat Pack — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop — combining on-screen to form the suavest crime syndicate in Las Vegas. Four decades later, director Steven Soderbergh’s 2000s-era reboot trilogy brought together the scorching trio of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, heartthrob staples since time immemorial.
A new Ocean’s prequel has been in the works for years, directors swapping in and out like ties before a dinner party; Twisters’ Lee Isaac Chung and Jay Roach, the guy who made Austin Powers, both dropped out at various points. The latest reports have it that now-seasoned movie auteur Bradley Cooper is set for directorial duties. He’ll also star alongside Margot Robbie, who is set to produce via her production company LuckyChap, the firm behind zeitgeisty hits like Barbie, Saltburn and the recent adaptation of Wuthering Heights. (Robbie’s Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling was previously set to play the Cooper role, but dropped out last year.) Two of the most gorgeous people in Hollywood coming together for another feature-length caper filled with criminal mischief? You know what they say: if it ain’t broke.
Shifting away from Vegas, Cooper and Robbie’s presently untitled instalment is set to flashback to early ‘60s Monaco, taking place during the Grand Prix. Not that the timing suggests we should expect a ghoulish AI cameo from deepfaked Deano: the movie will be a direct prequel to Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 remake, focusing on the crafty parents of Clooney’s titular robber-in-chief. “Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows — his parents,” said Robbie during the Warner Brothers presentation at CinemaCon earlier this month, per Variety. “You’ll see them in their prime, and in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.” Rosé, race cars, and stealing from the mega-rich? Hold on while we grab our helmets.
It’s fair to presume, as has been widely speculated online, that Cooper and Robbie will portray said parents. We know very little else, other than that it’s set to shoot this summer, and the studio is currently targeting a release on 25 June next year. But what an alchemic combination we have on paper: sexy IP, two of Hollywood’s most bankable figureheads, and a sun-kissed crowd-pleaser perfect for the middle of blockbuster season. Oh, and did we mention race cars? All the makings of a proper box office heist.
