The Ocean’s heist series has been incredibly impactful at the box office. Boasting a star-studded cast, it runs with a suave and sophisticated team of specialists who come together to essentially rob the wealthy. From there, we’ve seen a whole host of tropes it established, from the montage to the crew creation, seep into other genres.
While Ocean’s Eleven in 2001 kicked off the modern fascination, that was a remake of the Rat Pack’s 1960 outing, both of which focused on Las Vegas casino heists. Now, with Hollywood in a never-ending spiral of remakes, reboots, and retreads, a prequel to this story is on the way. Will it also make its way back to the casino?
A Different Setting for Modern Audiences to Explore
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Modern casino gaming has expanded greatly from the days of 2001 and especially 1960. You only have to look as far as the live casino to see this showcased. While classic table games like roulette and blackjack remain prominent, so, too, do their more audacious variants.
Hi-Lo Western Live is an Old West-themed card game of picking the high card, and Mega Wheel Live is a huge wheel-spin game with feature slots as well as prizes. Mega Fire Blaze Lucky Ball Live pivots the lottery formula and adds extra bonuses and features for those who draw the right numbers.
Given the importance of the casino setting in the series, and this release coming some 25 years after the remake, it seems like a natural pick to circle back to earlier casino floors. It’d offer a unique and stark new setting for many modern viewers. Plus, there’s an inherent understanding of the venue and stakes when a casino is in play.
Thanks to the work done by films like Ocean’s, but also many others, audiences expect to see some kind of high-stakes tension in play when a casino is the focus. You can look at Rain Man or even the riff on Rain Man in The Hangover to see the natural inclination to feel the tension and the desire for the heroes to come out on top.
What We Know About the Ocean’s Prequel
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According to movie reports, Carrie Solomon has penned a draft for the prequel’s screenplay, which is said to set the team in Europe in the 1960s. This would be at the same time as the original Rat Pack movie, playing perfectly into the current desire to make superficial references to legacy entries.
Doing this could also make for a casino heist movie, with the grand and elegant casinos of Europe making for a natural setting for such a prequel movie. As it stands, it’s suspected that Bradley Cooper and Margot Robbie will be cast as the leads, with Cooper apparently tipped to complete the writing and direct the film.
This comes after both Lee Isaac Chung and Jay Roach ditched the director’s chair for the prequel. Robbie, if not on-screen, will be attached to the project through her LuckyChap production company. Being created by Warner Bros., it’s unclear how Paramount’s acquisition of the entertainment behemoth will influence the film going forward.
For now, the Ocean’s prequel is on the way, and it seems inevitable that it’ll circle back to the casino setting to establish its new heist team.
