Premiering in 2001, the remake of the classic Rat Pack film Ocean's Eleven provided Warner Bros. and director Steven Soderbergh with a sizable return on their investment and a movie beloved by critics and fans. While its two subsequent sequels both made big profits at the box office they were met with mixed critical reception. With a decade now gone by since the final film of the trilogy, fans have been left to wonder if the franchise would ever continue. That question has been answered by Ocean's Eight, a soft reboot of the franchise which is hitting summer of 2018.
As the title implies, the film will be scaling back on the crew behind the film's heist, but the eight members of the team will be some pretty heavy hitters. Joining Sandra Bullock as the film's lead will be Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Cate Blanchett, and Sarah Paulson, along with musicians Rihanna and Awkwafina. We've already seen a number of the cast in action on set, and know they'll be tormented by Homeland's Damian Lewis. Even better, Matt Damon will be reprising his role from the original franchise, with Soderbergh and former series star George Clooney acting as producers for the Gary Ross-directed film.
Thanks to Deadline, we now know that the new crew will have another thorn in their side in the form of James Corden. The Late Late Show host and Carpool Karaoke creator will be taking advantage of his rapid rise to fame by adding the role to his ever-expanding list of recent films. Those include turns in Trolls, Into the Woods, and the upcoming Emoji Movie. In Ocean's Eight, he won't be a villain, but rather an insurance adjustor who starts to get a bit suspicious about what Bullock and company are getting into.
Ocean's 8 may be primed to hit as hard as the original, considering the cast's mix of dramatic and comedic chops and dedicated fan bases. Those combined with the seasoned director of The Hunger Games, Pleasantville, and Seabiscuit, and Ocean's Eight could signal a summer success, especially for those not keen on partaking in the latest batch of superhero flicks that will dominate theaters.
As a soft reboot, it's uncertain at this point whether any pre-release backlash will occur over the attempt to revive the property. For every Star Wars VII or Jurassic World, there seems to be a Terminator: Genisys or Independence Day: Resurgence, so these sorts of sequels-as-reboots can be unpredictable.
We'll bring you more news on Ocean's Eight as it emerges, so stay tuned.
Source: Deadline
