Back in May, reports surfaced that Warner Bros. Discovery is reviving the fan-favorite Ocean’s Eleven franchise with a prequel starring Margot Robbie and Jay Roach to direct with a script by Carrie Solomon. Now a new report by Puck claims that Ryan Gosling is set to join Robbie and Roach on the project. Robbie and Gosling are currently leading the studio's Barbie project, and while it would be an exciting avenue to see them going on a thrilling heist, nothing has been confirmed yet.
Per the report, the studio’s new regime led by CEO David Zaslav “wants to prioritize movies that can make millions in theaters first, and they’ve got a few they are almost ready to greenlight,” and Ocean’s movies are among them. In the past few months, the new management has made quite a few changes with the cancellation of numerous scripted shows on their networks and on HBO Max, including the most controversial decision to shelve the Batgirl movie for tax purposes. It was also reported that Walter Hamada was on the brink of quitting after the decision but has agreed to stay on till Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam releases.
Nonetheless, given the new management's interest in making the studio a more profitable venture, the Ocean’s franchise seems like the right way to go. The franchise is among the most prominent IPs of the studio standing next to Harry Potter movies and the DC universe. The first Ocean's Eleven was made in the 1960s starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. and followed a group of World War II veterans going on a heist to rob five Las Vegas banks on the same night. It was remade in 2001 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt which spun into a trilogy following the crew on various heists. Then in 2018, the franchise saw a resurgence with an all-female heist crew in Ocean’s Eight. The movie was led by Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the sister of Clooney's Danny Ocean, and featured the likes of Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, and Mindy Kaling.
The Ocean’s franchise has always featured strong performers and both Gosling and Robbie fit the bill. Robbie is an Oscar-nominated actress, having been nominated for her performances in I, Tonya, and Bombshell. She has features like Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and more to her credit. Gosling too has two Academy nominations for La La Land and Half Nelson and has movies like Blade Runner 2049, The Big Short, Drive, and more to his credit.
Robbie and Gosling will be next seen in Barbie premiering on July 21, 2023. Meanwhile, watch our conversation with Robbie and David Dastmalchian on The Suicide Squad below: