- George Clooney has expressed approval for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling to play his character’s parents in the Ocean’s Eleven prequel.
- The prequel, titled Oceans, will be set in Europe during the 1960s and focus on the family of Clooney’s character, Danny Ocean.
- Oceans will be directed by Jay Roach, with the cast led by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
George Clooney has positively responded to Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling playing his parents in the upcoming Ocean’s Eleven prequel, Oceans, saying, “it makes sense.” In an interview with Variety, Clooney seemed enthusiastic about the idea of the two Hollywood stars portraying the parents of his character, Danny Ocean.
“Margot Robbie’s my mother? I’ve always thought that. And Ryan Gosling is my father, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Truly,” Clooney said.
Set in Europe during the 1960s, Oceans will feature Robbie and Gosling as Mr. and Mrs. Ocean, the parents of both Clooney’s character Danny and Sandra Bullock’s character Debora in Ocean’s 8. They teach their children to steal from the rich. Directed by Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery filmmaker Jay Roach, the movie has already generated excitement among audiences as they anticipate Robbie and Gosling playing Clooney’s parents.
The Ocean’s Eleven franchise began in 2001 with Steven Soderbergh as the director, featuring an ensemble cast that included George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, and Carl Reiner. The movie resulted in two sequels, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as the spinoff Ocean’s 8, which starred Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Oceans producer Josey McNamara has promised that the upcoming prequel will “do right” by the franchise, and praised the collaboration between Robbie and Gosling. “I can’t really say much, but I think we’re just trying to do right by the franchise. I’m excited for people to experience it when it’s ready […] They’re wonderful together [Robbie and Gosling]. The more projects even outside of that we can have them do would be amazing.”
Meanwhile, George Clooney is currently directing the biographical sports drama, The Boys in the Boat, based on the best-selling book about the true story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Co-produced and directed by Clooney, with a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, The Boys in the Boat stars Callum Turner, Joel Edgerton, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Alec Newman, and Peter Guinness. The film premiered on December 11, 2023, and is set to be released by Amazon MGM Studios on December 25, 2023.