As fans have been waiting for news of the Ocean's 8 sequel Ocean's 9, Sandra Bullock shared her thoughts on what was needed to make it happen. The film is part of the Ocean's 11 heist movie franchise, which began with the 1960 film about a group of criminals leading an epic heist in Las Vegas. That film was remade in 2001 by Steven Soderbergh with George Clooney as leader Danny Ocean and an ensemble that included Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts. That film wents on to be a huge success, spawning the sequels Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in 2007.
In 2018, the franchise was rebooted yet again, with Sandra Bullock starring as Danny Ocean's sister, Debbie Ocean, leading an all-female heist to steal a $150 million necklace at the Met Gala. The film is in continuity with the Soderbergh trilogy, even featuring cameos from Elliott Gould as Reuben and Shaobo Qin as Yen. The ensemble also includes Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film performed well, scoring the biggest opening weekend in the Ocean's franchise and doubling its $70 million budget at the domestic box office and earning around $300 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), comparable to Ocean's Thirteen.
Sandra Bullock Wants A Female Production Team
Screen Rant had the opportunity to attend the premiere of the romantic adventure The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and Brad Pitt. On the red carpet, Bullock was asked what it would take to get Ocean's 9 off the ground. The actor revealed that she is still in a text chain with her co-stars, so they could get the conversation going easily even though scheduling is complicated. What they would need is "a badass female director [and] an incredible female writer." Check out her full quote below:
Well, the nice thing is, we still have our text chain. So our text chain's still very active. You need to coordinate people's schedules, find a badass female director, an incredible female writer and come up with a story that no one would expect, that only women could pull off.
There have been vague rumors swirling for years about Clooney, Pitt and others returning for Ocean's Fourteen lately. However, not much has been heard about the potential for an Ocean's 9 since shortly after the film's release. Still, to hear Sandra Bullock put it, it seems like as long as the producers play their cards right, the cast would be ready to assemble as quickly as they could.
One of the delights of a potential Ocean's 9 is the fact that they would necessarily need to add another team member. Considering what an interesting group of actresses was assembled the first time, they would likely be able to nab somebody truly astounding to join the crew on their next adventure. There is also no age limit on joining the heist, so anybody from Florence Pugh to Helen Mirren could be the first person they call.
An Ocean's Prequel Is In Development
While there has been no news on an Ocean's 8 sequel, the franchise will continue with an Ocean's prequel which is in development. The movie is said to take place in 1960s Europe, perhaps looking to capture some of the vibes of the original Pat Pack movie. While the prequel doesn't seem to have any involvement from Sandra Bullock and there is a male director in place with Jay Roach, there are some notable behind-the-scenes roles for women. The movie is being written by Carrie Solomon while Margot Robbie will produce as well as star. The only other cast member attached is Ryan Gosling which already hints at another star-studded affair. Whether the prequel means Ocean's 9 is officially dead is unclear.