Bradley Cooper at an inflection point as an Ocean’s 11 prequel searches for its next director
bradley cooper is being eyed not only to star opposite Margot Robbie in a new “Ocean’s 11” prequel, but also to write and direct the Warner Bros. film—an escalation that arrives after the project recently lost its director.
The development follows the exit of “Twisters” director Lee Isaac Chung, and comes after Jay Roach had also previously been attached. With the prequel still in motion, the shift puts bradley cooper in position to become the central creative force on a studio franchise entry that has already cycled through multiple directing names.
What happens when Bradley Cooper becomes the leading option to write and direct?
bradley cooper has been in talks to star opposite Margot Robbie, and is now described as being at the top of the list to write and direct the movie. If that deal comes together, the film would be produced by Robbie’s LuckyChap, and would aim to keep on track to shoot before the end of the year (ET).
It would also mark the fourth feature he has directed, following “A Star Is Born, ” “Maestro, ” and last year’s “Is This Thing On?” A draft of the screenplay for the prequel was penned by Carrie Solomon.
Story details remain limited, but the prequel is expected to take place before the events of the 2001 casino heist comedy “Ocean’s Eleven. ” The prequel is said to be set in 1960s Europe.
What if the prequel’s shifting director lineup reshapes the project’s trajectory?
The project has experienced notable movement behind the camera: Lee Isaac Chung recently exited, following Jay Roach’s earlier involvement. The attention on bradley cooper as a potential writer-director reflects a pragmatic path for a production that already has a major actor attached and a producer in place, especially if the goal is to preserve a planned production window.
The larger “Ocean’s” brand provides the framing for why the studio and producers may be motivated to keep momentum. The franchise lineage includes the Steven Soderbergh-directed series that spawned sequels “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen”, plus the 2018 “Ocean’s Eight” reboot starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna. The underlying continuity matters because the prequel’s timeline is positioned as earlier than the 2001 film starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts—and because it sits inside a studio landscape with other “Ocean’s” plans in play.
A separate “Ocean’s” movie is also described as being in the works involving Clooney with Roberts, Damon, Pitt, and Don Cheadle returning, focusing on the group as aging criminals. Clooney has described the appeal of that concept in terms of the characters being “too old to do what we used to do, ” but still “smart enough to know how to get away with something, ” and needing to work around their limitations.
What happens next for Warner Bros. and LuckyChap’s broader slate?
The prequel is one of several projects LuckyChap has in the works at Warner Bros., where the production company has a first-look deal following the $1. 4 billion-grossing and Oscar-nominated “Barbie. ” The companies recently debuted Emerald Fennell’s take on “Wuthering Heights, ” and are also set for a reimagining of “Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, ” with Tim Burton.
For the “Ocean’s 11” prequel specifically, the near-term question is whether bradley cooper formally takes on writing and directing duties, turning an acting attachment into a creative leadership role that could stabilize the project after the recent departures. Warner Bros. had no comment.
