Warner Bros.' Ocean's Eleven trilogy was one of the defining film franchises of the 2000s. Now, Space Jam: A New Legacy actor Don Cheadle has stated that the trilogy's director Steven Soderbergh is thinking about making another Ocean's film and considering how he would do it.
Cheadle and Soderbergh are about to release their most recent collaboration No Sudden Move, a '50s-set ensemble crime film, tomorrow on HBO Max. The film has Soderbergh going back to his roots of directing crime films and thriller films like Traffic, Contagion, and Logan Lucky. The new film follows a string of movies with gimmicky filming techniques and straight-to-streaming releases by the director including Unsane, High Flying Bird, The Laundromat, and Let Them All Talk.
According to Cheadle, a fourth Ocean's film had been in the works shortly after Ocean's Thirteen, but most of the cast decided against doing the film after Bernie Mac passed away. But in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cheadle stated that after working with Soderbergh on No Sudden Move, the director told him that there "might be a way to do again," and that he was "thinking about it." Cheadle stated that Soderbergh didn't go into more detail than that, but added that the return to the franchise would be "interesting to see."
The first Ocean's Eleven tasked criminals Danny Ocean, Rusty Ryan, and a ragtag group of heisters with robbing three Las Vegas casinos at once. It brought together actors like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Cheadle, Mac, Elliot Gould, and many other notable figures in Hollywood. The series as a whole (especially the first film, Ocean's Eleven) was warmly received by critics and audiences, and the franchise went on to inspire the female-led spin-off film Ocean's Eight starring Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.
Since then, the Ocean's franchise has offered audiences some of the most fascinating heists in cinema history. If Soderbergh, Clooney, Pitt, and other actors were to make another Ocean's film, it would undoubtedly garner national attention and interest. As for now, many eyes will be on Soderbergh to see what he does next.
As for Cheadle? Fans of the actor can expect to see him play a villainous role in the upcoming Space Jam sequel. The trailers revealed that Cheadle will play the evil Al-G Rhythm, who sets off a new basketball competition between the Looney Tunes and Goon Squad after kidnapping the son of LeBron James, forcing the NBA all-star to recruit Bugs Bunny and the gang.
Ocean's Eleven is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Entertainment Weekly