Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence almost led Ocean's Eight's cast. Thanks to the financial success of Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy, Warner Bros. spent years looking for the right way to continue the franchise. Soderbergh and stars like George Clooney and Brad Pitt made it clear they had little interest in returning for Ocean's 14, leaving the studio without a clear path forward. Plans for a spinoff movie featuring an entirely female heist team eventually moved forward, as Ocean's 8 entered development in 2015.
When Ocean's Eight was first announced, the project came with the news that The Hunger Games director Gary Ross was helming the film, while Sandra Bullock was attached to star. Warner Bros. found an incredible lineup of actresses to join Bullock's Debbie Ocean. Ocean's Eight's cast included Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Awkwafina. The movie ultimately received mixed-to-positive reviews and made nearly $300 million worldwide at the box office. Warner Bros. is now charting a new course for the Ocean's franchise, as Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling will headline an Ocean's Eleven prequel.
As part of The Playlist's coverage of Gosling's casting, the outlet shared additional details about Ocean's Eight's development. According to The Playlist (who broke the news of the movie's development in 2015), Ross originally wanted Robbie and Lawrence to headline Ocean's 8. The reason that Robbie and Lawrence did not lead the Ocean's spinoff movie was scheduling. As two of Hollywood's busiest stars, Ross would have had to delay production by over a year - so he cast Bullock and Blanchett in the lead roles instead.
The idea of Lawrence and Robbie leading Ocean's Eight presents a very different movie. It is unknown if they would have played younger versions of Bullock and Blanchett's characters, Debbie Ocean and Lou Miller. The move would have also been a reunion between The Hunger Games director and his franchise star. Lawrence and Robbie could have given Ocean's Eight a younger cast all around, possibly even generating a bigger box office haul and sequel talks.
Although Lawrence and Robbie did not lead Ocean's Eight, the latter has since still found a way to get involved with the franchise. Perhaps the Ocean's Eleven prequel will even find a way to get Lawrence involved. The actress has avoided franchise films since wrapping up Hunger Games and X-Men, but the Ocean's movies are not the same type of major action blockbuster franchise she is used to. If nothing else, maybe Lawrence could join the cast for Ocean's Eight's sequel while Robbie leads the new possible prequel franchise.
Source: The Playlist