Ocean’s Eleven prequel with Margot Robbie loses director over ‘creative differences’
The Ocean’s Eleven prequel set to star Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has reportedly lost its second director over “creative differences”.
Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung stepped in for Jay Roach last year, but has now quit the project, which was first announced by Warner Bros in 2022.
The prequel is being produced by Robbie’s production company Lucky Chap Entertainment, which she co-founded with producer Josey McNamara.
“This is an amicable split due to creative differences,” Warner Bros told Deadline.
“Lee Isaac is a singular filmmaking talent whose vision and partnership have been invaluable to Warner Bros and Lucky Chap throughout this journey. Our experience with him has only deepened our enthusiasm to collaborate on future projects together,” Warner Bros and Lucky Chap said in a joint statement.
The Independent has reached out to representatives for Chung and Warner Bros for comment.
Not much has been revealed about the prequel but reports have been circulating that Robbie and Gosling will portray the parents of Danny Ocean, George Clooney’s character.
Clooney played the lead role of Danny – originated by Frank Sinatra in the original 1960 crime-comedy – in the 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven as well as its sequels Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007).
The trilogy, as well as the original film, were all set in Las Vegas. The new film is expected to be based in 1960s Europe, according to Variety.
A Family Affair writer Carrie Solomon is working on the screenplay for the prequel, and the plot is reportedly set before the events of Ocean’s Eleven, which also starred Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts as con artists who plan and execute an elaborate casino heist.
Clooney had given his nod to Robbie and Gosling’s cast, telling Variety in 2023: “Margot Robbie’s my mother? I’ve always thought that. And Ryan Gosling is my father, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Truly.”
Clooney also shared last year that the Oceans gang was likely getting together for Ocean’s 14, saying they already had a “great script” ready.
“We just got the budget approved at Warner Bros. and we’re trying to set up,” the Jay Kelly star told E! News. “It’s just scheduling, so it’s just setting a start date for us. Probably start in about nine or 10 months, shooting.”
In 2024, the Ocean’s cast lost co-star Scott L Schwartz, who died of congestive heart failure. The actor played Bruiser, the gentle giant in Stephen Soderbergh’s trilogy, and was one of only a handful of actors to feature in all three films alongside the main heist crew.