The 2001 film, Ocean's Eleven, featuring an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner and helmed by Steven Soderbergh, was a blockbuster hit. Now, George Clooney has revealed that the film is getting a sequel with the original cast reprising their roles.
Rather than relying on nostalgia, Clooney revealed to Variety that he is keen to explore the challenges of pulling off a heist at an older age. Inspired by the 2017 comedy Going in Style, he has brought back Roberts, Damon, Pitt, and Don Cheadle to reprise their roles as an older, wiser gang. With locations currently being scouted, the team is looking to start filming next October.
On what the film is likely to explore, Clooney confirmed, “There was something about the idea that we’re too old to do what we used to do, but we’re still smart enough to know how to get away with something that just appeals to me. They’ve lost a step, and they need to find a way to work around their limitations.”
In Ocean's Eleven, Clooney played the charismatic gangster Danny Ocean, who assembles a skilled team of accomplices to execute a daring, high-stakes heist targeting three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously during a major boxing event. Soderbergh directed the film from a screenplay by Ted Griffin. The first instalment in the Ocean's film trilogy, it is a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film.
The film garnered positive reviews from critics and achieved significant box office success, grossing $450.7 million worldwide to become the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2001. The success led to two sequels directed by Steven Soderbergh: Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). A spin-off, Ocean's 8, featuring an all-female lead cast, was released in 2018.