Reboots are all the rage in Hollywood lately. Despite the irritation of countless fans, major studios have shown no signs of slowing down their remake-heavy production slates. The most recent aspect of this trend to draw a particularly virulent brand of backlash is the all-female remake or offshoot of primarily male-led films. Aside from Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters redux, remakes of buddy cop-flick 21 Jump Street and crime thriller Ocean’s 11 are in the works.
The crime-thriller reboot has already landed its primary lead in Sandra Bullock. It now looks like another hot A-lister could join the Ocean’s 11 cast.
The Tracking Board caught wind of a move to cast Jennifer Lawrence, alongside Bullock, in the Warner Bros. heist spinoff. If so, Lawrence would be working again with Hunger Games-helmer Gary Ross. If Lawrence signs up for the caper flick, she’d join the cast when it begins shooting next fall, filming around her upcoming Amy Schumer project, which is co-written by Lawrence, and several other projects, including an untitled Darren Aronofsky pic and The Dive for Francis Lawrence (Hunger Games: Mockingjay).
The latest chapter of Ocean’s 11 was announced last October (although mentioned in the hacked emails of former Sony chair Amy Pascal). Based on a concept by Ocean’s series producer Jerry Weintraub, the reboot is being penned by Queen and Country scribe Olivia Milch. The film is rumored to follow Danny Ocean’s sister, played by Bullock, as she plots to swipe a pricey necklace, framing a shady gallery owner in the process. If cast, it sounds like Lawrence would play Bullock’s second-in-command.
Lawrence, who’ll reprise her Mystique role in X-Men: Apocalypse, would act as one of the cornerstones for the upcoming picture. Her superstar status, along with Bullock’s, could pull in some major box office earnings. Looking to continue the series, the studio is clearly hoping to match the drawing power of the original Soderbergh-based films, which featured major players like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts, among others. The producers clearly feel the rebooted film needs an A-list cast to compete with its predecessors.
The Ocean’s project could also get a major kick in one direction or the other, depending upon the success of other upcoming gender-swapped reboots like Ghostbusters. If the paranormal remake succeeds on its own merits, in spite of its detractors, Hollywood will take it as a continued sign that female-fronted flicks are box office gold (which they often are). However, even a misstep or two probably won’t diminish most moviegoers’ enthusiasm for a caper that features Lawrence and Bullock.
We’ll bring you more information on the all-female Ocean’s Eleven as it becomes available.
