In May, rumours began to circulate that Warner Bros. Discovery was planning to bring back the Ocean’s Eleven franchise with a prequel starring Margot Robbie and directed by Jay Roach from a story written by Carrie Solomon. Puck now reports that in addition to Robbie and Roach, the film will also star Ryan Gosling. While it would be great to see Robbie and Gosling lead the studio’s Barbie project on a daring robbery, no such plans have been announced as of yet. The new leadership at the studio, headed by CEO David Zaslav, reportedly “wants to prioritise pictures that can earn millions in cinemas first,” and the source claims that Ocean’s films are among those that the firm is willing to greenlight.
In recent months, the company’s leadership has made a number of controversial decisions, including the discontinuation of several scripted series airing on the network and on HBO Max and, most controversially, the decision to put the Batgirl movie on hold for financial reasons. Walter Hamada, who was reportedly on the verge of resigning after the decision, has decided to remain on until the release of Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Still, the Ocean’s brand appears to be the proper route to go given the new management’s desire to make the studio a more successful endeavour.
Along with the Harry Potter film series and the DC Comics cinematic universe, the franchise is one of the studio’s most successful intellectual properties (IPs). Originally released in 1960 and starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., Ocean’s Eleven told the story of a group of World War II veterans who pull off a robbery by robbing five Las Vegas banks in one night. In 2001, it was recreated with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and the series of films on the crew’s many heists eventually became a trilogy.
Then in 2018, Ocean’s Eight brought the franchise back with an all-female heist team. Sandra Bullock took centre stage as Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie, while the likes of Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, and Mindy Kaling all made appearances. Both Gosling and Robbie are excellent choices to continue the tradition of great acting in the Ocean’s movies. Robbie has been nominated for an Academy Award for both I, Tonya and Bombshell. She has appeared in films including “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Suicide Squad,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and many more. Gosling has been nominated for an Oscar twice (for La La Land and Half Nelson) and has starred in films such as Blade Runner 2049, The Big Short, Drive, and more.
Robbie and Gosling’s next film, Barbie, is scheduled for release on July 21, 2023.