The female-centric Ocean’s 11 spinoff Ocean’s 8 came together extremely fast. The film was barely even a prospect and then, before we knew it, an all-star cast had been assembled and production was underway in New York with Cate Blanchett rocking a series of incredible outfits. The film is directed by Hunger Games and Pleasantville filmmaker Gary Ross, who is a close friend of Steven Soderbergh’s, director of the previous Ocean’s trilogy. Soderbergh serves as a producer on Ocean’s 8 so there’s certainly connective tissue behind the scenes, and now it sounds like there’ll be a connection between this new franchise and the previous one onscreen as well.
Speaking with ET, Matt Damon revealed that he’ll be shooting a cameo in Ocean’s 8, presumably as his Ocean’s character Linus Caldwell, though he notes that he hasn't read it yet. We previously learned that the initial idea was for this to be a fully fledged spinoff, with George Clooney reprising his role as Danny Ocean, but that idea was reportedly abandoned in favor of focusing simply on these new characters. But now, with Damon involved, it sounds like there may be a narrative connection between the two franchises after all.
Ross assembled one hell of a cast for Ocean’s 8, as the new ensemble is led by Sandra Bullock and includes Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. Ross co-wrote the screenplay with Olivia Milch and is collaborating with director of photography Eigil Bryld (In Bruges), quashing my dream of seeing Soderbergh serve as cinematographer on this spinoff.
It’ll be interesting to see how Ocean’s 8 sets itself apart, and if it’ll kick off a new trilogy of films. Production is based in New York City and the plot reportedly revolves around a heist at a high-end fashion event, so that’s certainly a change of scenery from the gambling world of Las Vegas.
I’m also curious to see if Damon is the only cameo, or if we might see other familiar faces pop up here and there. We’ll find out when Ocean’s 8 opens in theaters on June 8, 2018.
