THR reports that Wagner Moura, who nabbed an Oscar nomination for The Secret Agent, is in talks to join Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper in the upcoming Ocean’s Eleven prequel.
The prequel will star Robbie and Cooper as the parents of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean. Plot details are largely being kept under wraps, but it will be a period piece set at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix. Moura is said to be playing the main villain.
At CinemaCon, Robbie teased the film during the Warner Bros. presentation. “Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows: his parents,” she said. “You’ll see them in all their prime in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.“
Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung was once slated to helm the upcoming Ocean’s Eleven prequel for Warner Bros. and LuckyChap Entertainment, but he dropped out earlier this year. A Warner Bros. spokesperson said, “This is an amicable split due to creative differences.” Studio reps added, “Lee Isaac is a singular filmmaking talent whose vision and partnership have been invaluable to Warner Bros. and LuckyChap throughout this journey. Our experience with him has only deepened our enthusiasm to collaborate on future projects together.“
It didn’t take long for it to be announced that Cooper would be stepping into the director’s chair and writing the script. Production is expected to kick off in late July in Paris before moving to the south of France.
In addition to the Ocean’s prequel, there’s another potential sequel in the works, which would bring back George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and a few other members of the original ensemble. Clooney teased the project back in 2023, saying, “We have a really good script for another Ocean’s now, so we may end up doing another one. It’s actually a great script.” The actor wouldn’t spill any other details, only to say that “the idea is kind of Going in Style.” The film Clooney refers to is a 1979 heist comedy starring George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg as three friends who decide to rob a bank.
Clooney said the studio has approved the budget, so it all comes down to scheduling. “We just got the budget approved at Warner Bros. and we’re trying to set up,” he said. “It’s just scheduling, so it’s just setting a start date for us, probably start in about nine or 10 months, shooting.“