The confirmation of Ocean’s 11’s new follow-up has quietly confirmed the actual fate of Danny Ocean seven years after Ocean’s 8 seemingly killed him off. Although he had been an established star by the time he appeared in the 2001 thriller/comedy hybrid, George Clooney’s performance as Danny Ocean in Ocean’s 11 helped cement him as one of the brightest stars in Hollywood. It was a role perfectly suited to the actor, allowing him to blend his suave esthetics and low-key comedic skills with surprising dramatic beats.
George Clooney’s Danny headlined three movies before he was seemingly killed off-screen between the events of Ocean’s 13 and the subsequent Sandra Bullock-led spin-off, Ocean’s 8. However, this death always bothered some fans, as it seemed like another one of the lies that Ocean would pull. With ᴅᴇᴀᴅline confirming that Ocean’s 14 is in development and David Leitch is circling the project, George Clooney is one of the stars being sought to also reprise his previous role — which suggests reports of Danny’s death were indeed mistaken.
Warner Bros Moving Forward With Ocean’s 14 Confirms Danny Ocean Not ᴅᴇᴀᴅ After All
Danny Ocean Is Likely Going To Return For Ocean’s 14
The news of George Clooney’s possible return for Ocean’s 14 suggests that theories about Danny Ocean’s survival in Ocean’s 8 were retroactively true all along. Based on the Frank Sinatra-led 1960 crime thriller, the Steven Soderbergh directed Ocean’s 11 stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and a dozen movie stars and character actors, Ocean’s 11 largely focused on Danny Ocean. A career criminal with a skill for heists, the first three films of the series saw Danny working with his crew to defeat rivals like Andy Garcia’s Terry Benedict, Vincent Cᴀssel’s François Toulour, and Al Pacino’s Willy Bank.
While Ocean’s 8 shifted focus to Danny’s sister Debbie, the confirmation that the franchise is returning to the initial Ocean‘s numbering suggests that the film is bringing back the original character focus. This is supported by ᴅᴇᴀᴅline‘s coverage of the Ocean’s 14 announcement, which noted that the film intends to bring back much of the trilogy’s cast to reprise their roles, likely including Clooney. Doing that would likely mean the тιтular Danny Ocean will settle back into the lead role for the series, which is something of a surprise given his apparent fate in Ocean’s 8.
Ocean’s 8 “Killed” Danny Ocean (But It Strongly Suggested He Was Just Faking His Death)
Debbie Ocean Thought Danny Was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Too
Taking place after the events of Ocean’s 13, Ocean’s 8 repeatedly indicated that Danny Ocean had been killed off-screen between films. Early in Ocean’s 8, Debbie Ocean leaves prison and visits her brother’s grave, revealing to the audience that Danny died. The tombstone indicated that Danny died in 2018, but even Debbie in-universe doubted that Danny was really ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. However, the film never included a cameo or concrete moment including Danny that would lead audiences to ᴀssume he really was alive.
The fact that [Danny Ocean] was also the defacto star of the series ahead of Ocean’s 8 made it unlikely that the character would simply be written off without some greater explanation.
The history of Danny as an expert manipulator and trickster always meant the idea that he had simply died off-screen was going to come with some degree of doubt. The fact that he was also the defacto star of the series ahead of Ocean’s 8 made it unlikely that the character would simply be written off without some greater explanation. Even Debbie wasn’t convinced of his demise, which only reinforced the idea that Danny was likely faking his death as part of some unseen plan.
Ocean’s 14 Has To Acknowledge That Danny Ocean Faked His Death After Ocean 8’s Ending
Ocean 8‘s Fake Out Could Set Up Ocean’s 14
Ocean’s 14 is reportedly poised to bring back as much of the original cast of the prior Ocean’s 11 trilogy as possible, albeit without stars like Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner who have pᴀssed away since Ocean’s 13. However, the next film in the series needs to make sure to address the events of Ocean’s 8, which did a good job of carrying on the legacy of those prior movies. This means addressing the fact that Ocean’s 8 established Danny as ᴅᴇᴀᴅ to the world.
This could easily be used as a plot set-up for Ocean’s 14, retroactively revealing that Danny’s apparent demise was part of a long-running unseen scheme. Danny could bounce back from some prior plan where he allowed himself to be declared ᴅᴇᴀᴅ even to his family, setting up his need to bounce back and restart a new life. There are lots of ways that Ocean’s 14 could bring Danny back without completely erasing the lore drops of Ocean’s 8, all while carrying on the legacy of Ocean’s 11.
Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline
