Ocean’s Eleven Prequel Nabs an Oscar Winner as Its Big Bad

Margot Robbie's Ocean's prequel just found its heavy. And yeah, it's a good one.

The quick version

• Benicio del Toro is in talks to play the villain in Warner Bros.' untitled Ocean's Eleven prequel, per Nexus Point News.
• Bradley Cooper is co-starring with Robbie after stepping in for Ryan Gosling, so the post-Barbie reunion is officially not a thing.
• Lee Isaac Chung (Twisters, Minari) is directing; Robbie's LuckyChap is producing.
• The story is set in 1960s Europe, with filming expected to kick off next year.
• Earlier rumor: it might involve the parents of Danny (George Clooney) and Debbie (Sandra Bullock). That part is very much up in the air now.

Benicio del Toro as the antagonist

According to Nexus Point News, del Toro is negotiating to join as the film's primary bad guy. No character details yet, but casting him as a slick, dangerous foil in a period caper is kind of a layup. He wasn't in the Clooney/Pitt-era Ocean's movies, but he has history with Steven Soderbergh, the filmmaker behind the modern Ocean's run, on Traffic (2000) and No Sudden Move (2021). If this deal closes, expect some icy, unblinking face-offs.

Robbie and Cooper up front (no Gosling this time)

Robbie leads the ensemble, with Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper now in the male lead. He replaced Ryan Gosling, which quietly ended what would have been a quick Barbie follow-up for Robbie and Gosling. Different vibe, different movie.

Behind the camera and on the map

Lee Isaac Chung, fresh off Twisters and previously of Minari, is directing. That is a fascinating swing: prestige character work meets big-canvas popcorn. The film is set in 1960s Europe, which signals old-school glamour, analog heists, and lots of opportunity for style-overload in the best way. Robbie's LuckyChap is producing for Warner Bros.

About that family rumor

When the project first surfaced, chatter suggested it might revolve around the parents of Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock). Since then, the project has clearly shifted. Beyond Gosling exiting, Jay Roach was once attached to direct and is no longer on it. With Chung now steering and del Toro circling, consider that early parent-angle rumor unconfirmed at best.

The Ocean's context

In the early 2000s, Soderbergh rebooted Ocean's Eleven with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, spinning it into a sleek, star-powered trilogy and later a Sandra Bullock-led spinoff. Altogether, the franchise has banked over $1 billion worldwide. So, yes, Warner Bros. knows exactly what kind of shiny vault it is cracking open here.

If everything lands, we might be looking at a European period caper with Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper squaring off against Benicio del Toro under Lee Isaac Chung. That is a lot of A-game energy for one heist. Now we just wait for the title, the rest of the crew, and who they're stealing from.