Ryan Gosling is reportedly joining the cast of Margot Robbie’s Ocean’s Eleven prequel movie. The heist movie franchise originally created in 1960 gained new life in the 2000s when director Steven Soderbergh reimagined Ocean’s Eleven for the modern day. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon led a star-studded ensemble for the first Ocean’s trilogy movies, which helped turn the films into crowd-pleasing and financially successful releases. After the trilogy’s conclusion in 2007, Warner Bros. waited over a decade to release a spinoff, Ocean’s Eight, which starred Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and more as part of an all-female team of criminals.
The future of the Ocean’s movie franchise was unclear for a while after Ocean’s Eight‘s release. The movie seemingly performed strong enough to warrant a sequel, but that is not the direction Warner Bros. is taking the franchise after the Discovery merger. It was revealed in May 2022 that Margot Robbie would headline a new Ocean’s movie. Details on the film were limited, but it was revealed that it would be a prequel to Ocean’s Eleven set in 1960s Europe. The movie will be directed by Jay Roach, who Robbie previously worked with on Bombshell in 2019.
Now, Puck News reports that Ryan Gosling is joining Margot Robbie’s Ocean’s prequel movie. The move reunites Gosling and Robbie after the pair worked together on Greta Gerwig’s live-action Barbie movie, where Gosling plays Ken and Robbie plays Barbie. There are no details on who Gosling will play in the Ocean’s Eleven prequel. However, the outlet notes that the prequel will have a much bigger budget than Soderbergh’s Ocean’s movies to help it “feel more theatrical and maybe even summer-worthy.”
The Ocean’s Eleven prequel movie gives Gosling another potential franchise to be part of for years to come. He recently starred in The Gray Man for Netflix, and the Russo brothers’ assassin action movie already has a sequel in development starring Gosling’s Sierra Six. While there is no talk yet of a Barbie sequel, the movie’s use of an iconic piece of IP and the high levels of interest in it could mean Gosling will play Ken beyond a single film. He is also set to star in David Leitch’s The Fall Guy, which could become a franchise too.
Gosling joining the Ocean’s Eleven prequel continues the franchise’s great ability to attract some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Gosling and Robbie are two of the brightest stars in the industry right now, and their involvement will likely help convince even more big names to get involved. It is also likely another good sign for Barbie, as the two stars clearly enjoyed working together if they are already lining up another project. With the Ocean’s Eleven prequel movie expected to begin production sometime next year, there should be plenty of updates to come.
