The heist movie is a timeless popular classic. It always seems like the perfect, victimless crime. When we watch this type of movie, we are usually on the side of the gang of robbers and find ourselves rooting for them to get away with their audacious crime.
The films telling the story of Danny Ocean have been some of the most popular of the modern era. Ocean’s Eleven was released in the US on December 7th, 2001. It became the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year, with global box office receipts of $450.7 million. With an all-star cast including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt, it was a remake of a movie from 1960 by the same name.
With heist movies, it seems like the more challenging the heist, the more entertaining it gets for movie-goers. And what can be more challenging than stealing from the heavily-guarded casinos of Las Vegas? Luckily for us, nowadays, there are easier ways to try to make a fortune at the casino. Online casinos offer players tempting jackpots and substantial prizes, as can be seen on this list of UK casino bonuses. With offers like no deposit bonuses and free spins, it seems it is possible to get something for nothing after all.
It should therefore have come as no surprise when Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen were subsequently released. Ocean’s Twelve was a film from 2004 which grossed $362.9 million, and Ocean’s Thirteen from 2007 grossed $311.7 million.
So, while the genre was popular, the Ocean franchise appeared to be an investment with diminishing returns. Julia Roberts did not appear in the third film, but Al Pacino took a lead role as the ruthless casino owner, Willy Bank.
However, this was not the end of the story. In 2018 a new Ocean’s Eleven spin-off hit the screens. With an all-female cast, Sandra Bullock played Danny Ocean’s sister, and other stellar names included Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, and Sarah Paulson. This movie grossed $297,718,711 worldwide from a $70 million production budget. Ocean’s Eight was the biggest success and received the most positive critical acclaim.
Therefore, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling must be hoping that producing a prequel will be the solution to box office and critical success. Can going back in time recreate the success of the 2001 version? If it does, then the pair could be set to pull off the heist of a lifetime.
Very little is known about the new Ocean’s film other than that it is definitely happening and will be set before Danny Ocean and his gang set out to raid three Las Vegas casinos in one night. However, creating a more successful version will be a tough challenge.
The Ocean’s Eleven Prequel is set to be directed by Jay Roach, the man behind the Austin Powers franchise. He said the new film will be a 1960s love story set at the Monaco Grand Prix. Obviously, being an Ocean’s film, there will be a heist involved too.
“Margot brought it to me as a kind of old-fashioned epic love story slash adventure disguised as a heist,” Roach said. “It is a heist movie still, but it’s very much a love story. And we were both inspired by Hitchcock, To Catch a Thief but also Notorious. It just wants to be a big, big, you know, cinematic spectacle. We didn’t quite sync up yet on what the right budget for it is.”
He added,
“Originally, there were some questions about whether it would be weird to have (Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling) together again after Barbie, but I think there’s just some pairings you want to see over and over again. It’s such a powerful, powerful duo, you know? And it’s and the suspense of will they come together; will they trust each other enough to team up? That’s romantic.”
The film begins filming in France at the end of June, so we should not have to wait too long for news from the set.
Title Photo by Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash
