The Ocean’s Eleven prequel film is finally moving forward, as it hires a director. Ocean’s Eleven was originally a 1960 movie starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, but the most well-known version is the 2001 remake. The remake was helmed by Steven Soderbergh and featured a leading cast including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.
The main cast returned for the sequel films Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen. After an eleven-year gap, the franchise returned with the female-led reboot movie Ocean’s Eight. Since then, an Ocean’s Eleven prequel film was announced, though development has been slow.
As per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, the Ocean’s Eleven prequel film will be directed by Lee Isaac Chung. While the story is still under wraps, the screenplay will be penned by Carrie Solomon. Casting details are also under wraps.
What This Means For The Ocean’s Eleven Prequel
This Is The First News In A While
The Ocean’s Eleven prequel was announced by Warner Bros. in August 2022. Later, Margot Robbie’s company LuckyChap was announced to be producing the film, with the Barbie actor also set to star. Ryan Gosling was also attached to the project.
Robbie left a more uncertain update in January 2024, however. At that time, she said that the project was still in early development and that she did not think it would be the next thing she worked on. That much, at minimum, was true, as Robbie is set to star in Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey this year in her first post-Barbie role.
This recent update indicates the project is in early development, but it does at least confirm that it is still happening. As for Robbie’s involvement, the report did not say anything about whether the actor would still be playing the lead role, though LuckyChap is still listed as the producer.
As for the newly chosen director, Chung is a celebrated creative who is best known for his work on Minari. This movie earned him two Oscar nominations, for both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
Our Take On The Ocean’s Eleven Prequel News
Chung’s Twisters Experience Will Help Out
Minari is not the only thing Chung has made in the 2020s. Last year, Chung took a career pivot when he helmed the blockbuster legacy sequel film Twisters. The movie made $372.2 million worldwide, and was considered a big hit.
This experience is especially promising going into the Ocean’s Eleven prequel. Twisters showed that Chung can work well within an existing IP, delivering both entertaining and fresh content. This could be repeated in Ocean’s Eleven, bringing new life to a franchise that could otherwise feel overdone.
Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline
