Things have been quiet of late –– presumably because the script has proved a tough nut to crack. Still, there is some news to report now, with Deadline bringing word that ‘Twisters’Lee Isaac Chung is in talks to direct the movie.
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Robbie and Gosling are not confirmed for the movie just yet, but if Chung makes a deal, it points to some positive forward movement.
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Deadline’s report mentions that the script remains secret, though previous stories brought word that it’ll be set in 1962, and focus on a pair of thieves who target expensive earrings during a mansion event followed by a plot to steal precious diamond in Monte Carlo.
Seeking payback after something goes wrong, they recruit a team to sabotage his Monaco Grand Prix victory and swipe the gem.
Carrie Solomon wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, but there may well have been others involved since then.
The likes of Jay Roach and Molly Rose have been talked up as directors previously, but it would seem Chung is the current choice given the success of ‘Twisters’.
What else is happening in the ‘Ocean’s world?
George Clooney in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
But since those initial stories there has been little update.
Clooney, who is a producer on the ‘Ocean’s franchise in addition to its lead actor, told Uproxx about a development for the future back in 2023:
“We have a really good script for another ‘Ocean’s’ now, so we may end up doing another one. It’s actually a great script. the idea is kind of like ‘Going in Style.’ ”
In honor of Anderson’s new movie, ‘The Phoenician Scheme‘, which opens in select theaters on May 30th before opening wide on June 6th, Moviefone is counting down every film of Wes Anderson’s impressive career, including his latest.
Four tales unfold in Wes Anderson’s anthology of short films adapted from Roald Dahl‘s beloved stories, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”, “The Swan”, “The Rat Catcher”, and “Poison”.
(L to R) Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson in ‘The Darjeeling Limited’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Three American brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).
(L to R) Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson in ‘Bottle Rocket’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony (Luke Wilson) joins his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson), who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a hair-brained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry (James Caan).
The cast of ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned (Owen Wilson), a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane (Cate Blanchett), a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou’s past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston).
(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
A scene from ‘Isle of Dogs’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island that’s a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy (Koyu Rankin) arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.
(L to R) Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman in ‘Rushmore’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
When a beautiful first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max (Jason Schwartzman), who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father (Bill Murray) of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max’s new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
(L to R) Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton in ‘Moonrise Kingdom’. Photo: Focus Features.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.
Ralph Fiennes stars in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge (Ralph Fiennes) at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee (Tony Revolori) who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
George Clooney as Mr. Fox in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (George Clooney) bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers (Michael Gambon, Robin Hurlstone, and Hugo Guinness). The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.
(L to R) Bencio del Toro and Léa Seydoux in ‘The French Dispatch’. Photo: Searchlight Pictures.
The staff of an American magazine based in France puts out its last issue, with stories featuring an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student riots, and a kidnapping resolved by a chef.
The cast of ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson) and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary — all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father’s fault. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is the story of the family’s sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
Steven Soderbergh is one of the most prolific and celebrated filmmakers of his generation.
The director’s breakthrough movie, 1989’s ‘sex, lies, and videotape‘, gave birth to the independent film movement of the 1990’s. Soderbergh would go on to helm such acclaimed films as ‘Out of Sight‘, ‘Erin Brockovich‘, and ‘Traffic‘, which earned him an Oscar for Best Director, before going on to make the popular ‘Ocean’s Eleven‘ and ‘Magic Mike‘ franchises.
Soderbergh has two movies releasing in 2025, the experimental supernatural film ‘Presence‘, which opened in theaters on January 24th, and the spy thriller ‘Black Bag‘, which stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, and is scheduled for release on March 14th.
In honor of the upcoming release of ‘Black Bag’, Moviefone is counting down every film Steven Soderbergh has ever directed, including TV movies, documentaries, anthology films, and his latest.
Matt Damon in ‘The Informant!’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion.
From the first time he performed ‘Swimming to Cambodia‘ – the one-man account of his experience of making the 1984 film ‘The Killing Fields‘ – Spalding Gray made the art of the monologue his own. Drawing unstintingly on the most intimate aspects of his own life, his shows were vibrant, hilarious and moving. His death came tragically early, in 2004; this compilation of interview and performance footage nails his idiosyncratic and irreplaceable brilliance.
A celebrated author (Meryl Streep) takes a journey with some old friends to have some fun and heal old wounds. Her nephew (Lucas Hedges) comes along to wrangle the ladies and finds himself involved with a young literary agent (Gemma Chan).
A recovering gambling addict (Peter Gallagher) attempts to reconcile with his family and friends but finds trouble and temptation when caught between feelings for his ex-wife (Alison Elliott) and her dangerous hoodlum boyfriend (William Fichtner).
Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek Pinault) who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse… and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he’ll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?
The film documents, in an often dramatic and humorous fashion, Spalding Gray’s investigations into alternative medicine for an eye condition (Macular pucker) he had developed.
Based on the Depression-era bildungsroman memoir of writer A. E. Hotchner, the film follows the story of a boy (Jesse Bradford) struggling to survive on his own in a hotel in St. Louis after his mother is committed to a sanatorium with tuberculosis. His father, a German immigrant and traveling salesman working for the Hamilton Watch Company, is off on long trips from which the boy cannot be certain he will return.
Chelsea (Sasha Grey) is an in-demand call girl whose $2,000 an hour price tag allows her to live in New York’s lap of luxury. Besides her beauty and sexual skill, Chelsea offers her clients companionship and conversation, or, as she dubs it, “the girlfriend experience.” With her successful business and a devoted, live-in boyfriend, Chelsea thinks she has it made… until a new client rocks her world.
A tech worker (Zoë Kravitz) with agoraphobia discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime but is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: leave her apartment.
A three-part anthology film about love and sexuality: a menage-a-trois between a couple and a young woman on the coast of Tuscany; an advertising executive under enormous pressure at work, who, during visits to his psychiatrist, is pulled to delve into the possible reasons why his stress seems to manifest itself in a recurring erotic dream; and a story of unrequited love about a beautiful, 1960s high-end call girl in an impossible affair with her young tailor.
An American journalist (George Clooney) arrives in Berlin just after the end of World War Two. He becomes involved in a murder mystery surrounding a dead GI who washes up at a lakeside mansion during the Potsdam negotiations between the Allied powers. Soon his investigation connects with his search for his married pre-war German lover (Cate Blanchett).
After the Cuban Revolution, Che (Benicio del Toro) is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.
When a widow (Meryl Streep) gets swindled out of insurance money, her search for answers leads to two cunning lawyers (Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas) in Panama who hide cash for the superrich.
André Holland in ‘High Flying Bird’. Photo: Netflix.
During an NBA lockout, a sports agent, Ray Burke (André Holland), presents his rookie client, Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg), with an intriguing and controversial business opportunity.
A woman (Rooney Mara) turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband’s (Channing Tatum) upcoming release from prison.
The Argentine, begins as Che (Benicio del Toro) and a band of Cuban exiles (led by Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir)) reach the Cuban shore from Mexico in 1956. Within two years, they mobilized popular support and an army and toppled the U.S.-friendly regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson (Matt Damon), is recounted.
A group of criminals are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what’s really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.
Danny Ocean’s (George Clooney) team of criminals are back and composing a plan more personal than ever. When ruthless casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) doublecrosses Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), causing a heart attack, Danny Ocean vows that he and his team will do anything to bring down Willy Bank along with everything he’s got. Even if it means asking for help from an enemy.
Kafka (Jeremy Irons), an insurance worker gets embroiled in an underground group after a co-worker is murdered. The underground group is responsible for bombings all over town, attempting to thwart a secret organization that controls the major events in society. He eventually penetrates the secret organization and must confront them.
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny’s hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts).
(L to R) Channing Tatum, Riley Keough and Adam Driver in ‘Lucky Logan’. Photo: Bleecker Street.
Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Mike (Channing Tatum), an experienced stripper, takes a younger performer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.
As an epidemic of a lethal airborne virus – that kills within days – rapidly grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) reunites with his old flame and the rest of his merry band of thieves in carrying out three huge heists in Rome, Paris and Amsterdam – but a Europol agent is hot on their heels.
Ann (Andie MacDowell), a frustrated wife, enters into counseling due to a troubled marriage. Unbeknownst to her, her husband John (Peter Gallagher) has begun an affair with her sister. When John’s best friend Graham (James Spader) arrives, his penchant for interviewing women about their sex lives forever changes John and Ann’s rocky marriage.
‘Black Bag’ is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.
A twice-divorced mother (Julia Roberts) of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins — with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.
Meet Jack Foley (George Clooney), a smooth criminal who bends the law and is determined to make one last heist. Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) is a federal marshal who chooses all the right moves … and all the wrong guys. Now they’re willing to risk it all to find out if there’s more between them than just the law.
An exploration of the United States of America’s war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (Michael Douglas), the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter (Erika Christensen) is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman (Benicio del Toro) agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin’s sheltered trophy wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) must learn her husband’s ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.
(L to R) Luis Guzmán and Terence Stamp in ‘The Limey’. Photo: Artisan Entertainment.
The Limey follows Wilson (Terence Stamp), a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter’s death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine (Peter Fonda) and an army of L.A.’s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.
(Left) David Leitch in Paris for ‘Bullet Train.’ Credit: Oliver Vigerie/Sony Pictures. (Right) George Clooney and Brad Pit in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Preview:
David Leitch is in talks to direct ‘Ocean’s Fourteen.’
George Clooney, Brad Pitt and other leads would likely return.
Warner Bros. is backing the movie as always.
Las Vegas casinos, you might want to check your security setup. Because the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ crew is looking to pay another visit.
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At least, that’s the plan for Warner Bros. and George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures company, which have been trying for a few years now to put together an ‘Ocean’s Fourteen.’
It would aim to reunite the reunite the crew from the previous outing, which includes Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and more for a new movie.
Yet while Clooney seems committed to coming back, director Steven Soderbergh is apparently sitting this one out, having handled the previous three main entries.
There were rumours last year that Edward Berger, who made the Oscar-winning ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ (and is back in awards contention with ‘Conclave’) was in talks to take it on, but he denied them in an interview with Collider:
“Well, I feel very honored that people think of me to be able to do something like that, and of course, I would love the challenge to do either, but again, it’s rumors that are just people wanting to print some news that just have no basis in fact.”
It’s not exactly considered the greatest movie ever made, so a remake was a smart move.
The updated ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ landed in 2001, with Soderbergh directing from a script by Ted Griffin.
Clooney played Ocean, with his crew including Pitt, Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac and more. They staged a sophisticated and elaborate casino heist involving robbing three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously during a popular boxing event.
It was a success for Warner Bros., earning $450 million from an $85 million budget.
Its 2004 sequel, the Europe-set ‘Ocean’s Twelve,’ also directed by Soderbergh (with a script this time by George Nolfi) saw Danny rustle up one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists and help his team pay back debts.
With a bigger budget ($110 million) it wasn’t quite as successful, but still earned $320 million.
The final film in the Soderbergh-directed trilogy, 2007’s ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ had Brian Koppelman and David Levien on scripting duty and had Danny rounding up the crew for a third heist after casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould).
With a budget reduced back down to $85 million, it crept close to ‘Twelve’s earnings with $311 worldwide.
In 2018, we got spin-off ‘Ocean’s Eight,’ directed by Gary Ross from a script he wrote with Olivia Milch.
The movie was budgeted around the $70 million mark and earned $297 million worldwide.
What has George Clooney said about a new ‘Ocean’s’ movie?
George Clooney in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Clooney, who is a producer on the ‘Ocean’s franchise in addition to its lead actor, told Uproxx about a development for the future back in 2023:
“We have a really good script for another ‘Ocean’s’ now, so we may end up doing another one. It’s actually a great script. the idea is kind of like ‘Going in Style.’ ”
David Leitch in Paris for ‘Bullet Train.’ Credit: Oliver Vigerie/Sony Pictures.
Leitch has spun quite the career from his days as a stuntman doubling for Keanu Reeves. After graduating to stunt coordinator and second-unit director, he co-directed ‘John Wick’ with action colleague Chad Stahelski.
Last year’s ‘The Fall Guy,’ which starred Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, didn’t succeed at the box office but doesn’t seem to have hurt Leitch’s prospects.
He’s also a producer via his 87North company and has the likes of ‘Love Hurts‘ and ‘Nobody 2’ on the way in that capacity.
Wasn’t there another ‘Ocean’s movie in the works?
‘Barbie’ CinemaCon 2023 Presentation and Press Line, April 25th. Photos By Eric Charbonneau.
With Jay Roach reportedly directing, Carrie Solomon’s script is set in Europe in the 1960s and may see Gosling and Robbie as Danny Ocean’s heist-happy parents.
There has been little movement on that one recently, so we’ll wait and see if it actually comes to fruition.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Opening in theaters in limited release from September 20th ahead of a September 27th arrival on Apple’s TV+ service, ‘Wolfs’ is the latest attempt by the tech giant to lure in audiences with big names and healthy budgets, though seemingly –– given that one-week run in theaters –– more concerned about buzz (and subscribers) than box office.
Still, the movie itself offers enough fun to make it a worthwhile effort, even if it seems a little too much in love with the star wattage of its two central famous faces.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Do you long to see George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunited on screen for the first time since –– no, not the ‘Ocean’s movies but actually the Coenbrothers’ ‘Burn After Reading,’ which barely counts since they only occupy the same cinematic space for a very brief time?
If you’re yearning to have two of the most famous movie stars Hollywood has to offer trading barbs, occasionally letting themselves look vulnerable but generally being just as cool as you expect, then Apple has the answer for you. And the giant tech corporation has kindly agreed to put in theaters for exactly a week before the whole affair shuffles off to its Apple TV+ service.
That might sound sarcastic or cynical, but it’s hard not to see the ploy in the same light: agree to back ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy director Jon Watts’ new original crime caper, see him secure two giant stars then look for buzz over box office.
Still, the film that was made does have enough going for it to warrant seeing it on the big screen, even if you must be quick. Just don’t go expecting a completely original tale, as what unspools is largely a fun version of stories we’ve seen before with a tweak here and there.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Director Jon Watts, Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the set of ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Watts has been sitting on the ‘Wolfs’ script for years, fully hoping that Clooney and Pitt might agree to star, since the roles very much feel written for them in ‘Ocean’s chatty mode. Of course, Spidey has gotten in the way for the last few years (albeit doing plenty for the filmmaker’s profile and bank balance), but the director has now broken free of Marvel’s grasp to get back to the sort of movie that launched his career, ‘Cop Car.’
The ‘Wolfs’ script is light on its feet, mostly driven by the banter between Clooney and Pitt, though it does at times twist itself in knots trying to figure out certain situations. And there is also sometimes too much of a reliance on certain repetitive dialogue tricks, such as the duo overlapping each other or one saying a curse word, then the other saying the same thing when they discover what he’s looking at.
It all adds up to the movie at times feeling exactly that, a movie –– while we don’t go to star-driven films such as this for gritty reality, it does jolt you out of the experience from time to time.
And Watts knows how to direct both actors and action, New York shot in appealing tones as the characters make their way on their unexpected mission. One moment in particular –– no spoilers, but it involves a car and one of the characters is played in slow-mo for maximum impact.
Performances
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Aside from Clooney and Pitt, almost everyone else is a cipher (and one particular actor should feel hard done by –– see below.)
George Clooney as “Margaret’s Man”
Neither of the stars’ characters are given names that we learn here; that pretty much comes with the job of mysterious, gruff fixer. Still, Clooney can knock this sort of role out of the park in his sleep and here he’s offered the chance to sideline the twinkly charm for a more circumspect character.
Brad Pitt as “Pam’s Man”
Both Pitt and Clooney are channeling their real-life friendship here, albeit, submerging under layers of characters who don’t want to work together. Pitt, like his co-star, is on good form, underplaying it and keeping his cool. There are a few funny grace notes to the pair aging, such as cracking backs or downing Advil, and it all adds to the layers of the two fixers.
Yes, names really are not a thing in this movie (with a couple of exceptions), but Abrams doesn’t need one to make an impact. He’s a fine pick to play off of the two leads, his nervy, slightly manic energy (since his character is in the midst of a drug trip/comedown during the story) works well against their measured stoicism and he really makes the part work.
Ryan is the first person we meet in the film, and though she only makes a brief appearance as a panicked district attorney who initially summons Clooney’s character for help when she thinks she has a dead body in her room after a hookup gone awry, she does a lot with a little.
Supporting cast
A few other roles pop –– ‘Never Have I Ever’s Poorna Jagannathan is dry and funny as June, the doctor to whom the central pair take the kid, while Zlatko Burić dutifully portrays the gangster Dimitri with whom our heroes interact during the movie.
Still, there is one giant crime in the movie (and we don’t mean murder or drugs), and that’s the utter waste of the brilliant Richard Kind, who while he’s great as always, has maybe a couple of lines of dialogue and a minute or two of screen time.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
‘Wolfs’ gets by on star power for good and ill, slowly turning the dial on the central characters, peeling away some layers and adding in some moral questions, which is surely why Clooney and Pitt took the gig beyond the chance to team back up again on screen.
It doesn’t totally succeed, but it’s better than your average crime caper.
‘Wolfs’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the plot of ‘Wolfs’?
‘Wolfs’ sees George Clooney as a professional fixer hired to cover up a high-profile crime. But when a second fixer (Brad Pitt) shows up and the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected.
Who stars in ‘Wolfs’?
George Clooney as Jack
Brad Pitt as Nick
Amy Ryan as Margaret
Austin Abrams as Kid
Poorna Jagannathan as June
Zlatko Burić as Dimitri
Richard Kind as Kid’s dad
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Nicolas Cage is playing John Madden in a new movie called ‘Madden’.
David O. Russell wrote the script and will direct.
It’ll follow Madden from his 1970s days and beyond.
Nicolas Cage is on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. Between showing some serious self-awareness (and self-deprecation) for ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ and logging some of the best performances of his recent career in the likes of ‘Pig’, ‘Dream Scenario’ and this year’s creepy winner ‘Longlegs’, he’s putting in the work.
And a new movie will offer a fresh, considerable challenge: Cage will play real life NFL icon John Madden for director David O. Russell in ‘Madden’.
With a script by Russell (based on earlier work from Cambron Clark), the exact details of what ‘Madden’ will cover remain a little indistinct at the moment.
But there is certainly a lot to choose from. Madden was a star player in high school, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, only for injury to curtail his rookie season.
Instead, he went on to earn a degree in teaching and put his skills/experience to good use as a coach, going on to lead the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and a win in 1977.
Madden became known as one of the best coaches in the sport’s history, but his all-consuming passion and commitment wore on him, and he retired for health reasons.
Still, a hugely successful second chapter dawned as courted by the fledgling gaming company Electronic Arts to be the front man for its Madden NFL multi-player video game. Madden had never played a video game, but it turned into an outlet where he could lend his knowledge and help the masses better understand the gridiron.
The game has long been a sensation –– even with its inspiration dying in 2021, it continues to this day as a favorite of players and fans.
And beyond even that, Madden also became famous as a beloved commentator on the game he loved so much, his enthusiasm pouring from the screen, and his habit of scribbling on the screen making him a firm favorite among viewers.
Here’s what Russell said about the casting news in a statement:
“Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun, and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden. Together with the ferocious style, focus, and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s.”
Russell himself is something of a controversial figure, his successful directing career also marked by criticisms of his attitude to women and other groups. He’s also been known for his mercurial behavior on set, infamously clashing with George Clooney on ‘Three Kings’.
It left such a mark on the actor that even now he won’t work with Russell, commenting in a recent interview:
“It’s not just like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go do a really good film, like ‘Three Kings’, and I’m going to have a miserable f*** like David O Russell making my life hell. Making every person in the crew’s life hell.’ ”
Let’s hope Cage has a better time of it.
When will the new David O. Russell/Nicolas Cage movie ‘Madden’ be in theaters?
Amazon/MGM Studios is backing the drama, but it has yet to receive a release date.
‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage) greets ‘Javi Gutierrez’ with a ‘Palm Hold Fist’ salute as he arrives in Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Preview:
George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s ‘Wolfs’ is getting a sequel.
It’s the new film from ‘Spider-Man’ recent trilogy director Jon Watts.
Yet the movie will also now not be in wide release.
There is some good news and bad news for the Apple-backed crime caper ‘Wolfs’ that stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
Apple has, via Deadline, decided to start developing a sequel to the Jon Watts movie that will be with us next month. That’s the good news.
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Here comes the gut punch: instead of a wide release for the original movie, it will now land in theaters just one week before it arrives globally on Apple TV+. Seemingly gone (at least for now) are the days when any movie featuring big stars launches in cinemas and enjoys a healthy run at the box office.
Still, it’s perhaps not surprising for Apple –– while its big-name releases (such as ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Emancipation’ haven’t been box office behemoths, they’ve enjoyed plenty of buzz and some awards recognition.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
‘Wolfs’, which Watts (currently best known for the three most recent ‘Spider-Man’ movies starring Tom Holland) wrote, directed and produced, Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high-profile crime.
But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two lone wolves are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways neither expected.
Here’s what Apple Original Films head of features Matt Dentler said to Deadline about the news:
“‘Wolfs’ is the kind of big event movie that makes Apple TV+ such an exceptional home for the best in entertainment. With George and Brad’s remarkable and engaging chemistry under Jon Watts’ extraordinary direction, ‘Wolfs’ blends all the great elements of comedy, action, and drama into a hugely entertaining movie that will leave audiences ready for what’s next. Releasing the movie to theaters before making it widely available to Apple TV+ customers brings the best of both worlds to audiences, and we’re excited to see fans embrace the movie as we start working with Jon on the sequel.”
What about other movies from Apple?
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
It’s a case of the company judging based on the market. The likes of new crime pic ‘The Instigators’ (which boasts Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as its leads) will be on limited release ahead of its Apple TV+ debut, while the mammoth-budget ‘F1’ that Pitt has been shooting for a while now with Joseph Kosinski directing from a script by Ehren Kruger, is still targeting a wide launch in cinemas next year.
So, when will ‘Wolfs’ be on screen?
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
The movie will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival before a limited run in cinemas on September 20th and then lands on Apple TV+ on September 27th.
(L to R) Director Jon Watts, Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the set of ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
(L to R) Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘IF.’
After spending most of the past decade following the end of ‘The Office’ in “tough guy” mode, playing a soldier, a spy, and an alpha male patriarch (perhaps to distance himself from his nerdy image as Jim Halpert), John Krasinski pivots into family film mode with ‘IF,’ an original live-action feature that he wrote, directed, and co-stars in. But while Krasinski showed some filmmaking flair with the intense ‘A Quiet Place’ and its sequel, his heavy-handed attempt to make a would-be family classic is overwrought and underwritten, giving the usually charismatic Ryan Reynolds and spunky young star Cailey Fleming little to do but stare at some Pixar-esque CG creations.
Story and Direction
Director John Krasinski on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘IF.’
‘IF’ opens on Bea (Fleming), a young girl who loses her mother to cancer before the opening credits even finish rolling. But that’s not all: Bea’s dad (Krasinski) is suffering from a heart condition and requires surgery, forcing Bea to stay at her grandmother’s (Fiona Shaw) New York City apartment while her dad undergoes his procedure (his pre-op stay in the hospital is unbelievably long – whatever he does for a living, he must have great insurance).
Lonely but apparently not going to school, Bea spies some odd-looking characters around the apartment building that lead her to a flat upstairs. That’s where she meets Cal (Reynolds), a strangely out-of-time man who resides in the whimsical apartment with a whole horde of bizarre beings that only Bea and Cal can see. As Cal explains, these are imaginary friends, or IFs for short, who are looking for new children to bond with since their previous children grew up and forgot about them.
Cal takes Bea to Coney Island – apparently it’s perfectly okay for a 12-year-old girl to wander around the city as she sees fit – where he introduces her to a subterranean retirement home for a large contingent of IFs, such as a robot, a flaming marshmallow, a glass of water, a big purple furball that looks like it stumbled over from ‘Monsters University,’ and many more. Most of them are voiced by famous people like Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Emily Blunt, Awkwafina, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, and Blake Lively, who all don’t get much more than a line or two (even the ones married to the director and/or male lead). The founder of the place, a teddy bear named Lewis (the late Louis Gossett Jr.), recruits Bea to help Cal find new children for the wayward IFs, which Bea apparently finds more worthy of her time than, say, staying by her dad’s side.
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds (Cal), Louis Gossett Jr. (Lewis) and Cailey Fleming (Bea) star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘IF.’
‘IF’ wants very badly to be a sort of live-action Pixar movie. While the idea of hanging onto one’s power of imagination even as an adult is a worthy one, and we will give Krasinski a certain amount of respect for taking a big, original swing with his own material, he’s not good enough of a writer to make it work and can’t quite get a handle on it as a director either. The movie continually tries to pull shamelessly and relentlessly at one’s heartstrings, aided so obtrusively by Michael Giacchino’s pervasively syrupy score (a rare misfire from the otherwise great composer) that one wants to tell the music to shut up.
The biggest problem with ‘IF,’ beyond its overt mawkishness, is that Krasinski’s world-building is sloppy and undercooked. Does Bea’s grandmother wonder where she’s going all the time? Does her father? Why can some people suddenly see their IFs for no apparent reason years after having forgotten them? How can IFs apparently open doors and move objects? Sure, this is a fantasy film, and real-life logic doesn’t always apply; but there has to be some sort of internal logic, a set of rules for the world, and that doesn’t seem present here.
There are some funny lines sprinkled throughout the film, and young children may delight in some of the many IFs who populate the story (even if none of them are given anything more than a cursory character sketch), but ‘IF’ meanders along with little urgency and no real sense of what we’re supposed to feel, despite its strenuous attempts to make us feel something.
John Krasinski Cast Many BFFs in ‘IF’
(L to R) George Clooney (Spaceman), Amy Schumer (Gummy Bear), Emily Blunt (Unicorn), Steve Carell (Blue), Flower, Cailey Fleming (Bea), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Blossom), Richard Jenkins (Art Teacher) and Maya Rudolph (Ally) star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘IF.’
‘IF’ has a stacked voice cast, although as mentioned earlier, the IFs come flying through so frequently that few get a chance to make any kind of impression. Aside from the kindly, wise Lewis, the IFs who get the most screentime are Steve Carell’s Blue and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Blossom, a sort of 1920s dancer who turns out to be Bea’s grandmother’s one-time IF.
The main human character, Cailey Fleming’s Bea, starts off as earnest and intelligent, but begins over-emoting through the second half of the film; Fleming is still an engaging presence who can probably do better. Krasinski’s dad, a whimsical sort who implores his daughter not to grow up too fast, is too smug to earn much of our empathy, while the usually sparkling Reynolds is forced to play it somewhat morose and passive through large sections of the film. His effortless way with one-liners doesn’t get the workout that this film could use. ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ can’t come soon enough.
Final Thoughts
Cailey Fleming (Bea) and Steve Carell (Blue) star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘IF.’
There’s a 10-minute tour through the IF retirement home about half an hour into the movie, in which Lewis tells Bea that she can make whatever she wants happen just by thinking about it (we guess). It’s a potentially interesting idea ruined by overly frantic, busy visuals, ending in an extraneous dance number which has absolutely no bearing on the rest of the plot. It’s also indicative of the problem with the rest of ‘IF’: this is a shapeless movie that feels more like the director playing with all the tools at his disposal yet not firming up the story he wants to tell.
After the success of the ‘A Quiet Place’ films, we suppose it was inevitable that the director would get to indulge himself with a vanity project. And as noted earlier, certain younger audience members may be enraptured by everything going on in the film. But if John Krasinski wants to try his hand at a family movie again, he should concentrate more on a good, focused story and characters, and less on self-satisfied sentimentality.
‘IF’ receives 4 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘IF’?
A young girl going through a very difficult time in her life suddenly gains the ability to see the imaginary friends (IFs) of other people who have left them behind. With the help of a neighbor, the little girl attempts to reunite all the IFs with the kids they once belonged to.
Yet while he has some new movies in the works, it appears Fassbender is ready to return to TV for the first time in nearly two decades. He’s in talks to star in new spy series ‘The Department’.
And the other big name behind the series? George Clooney.
According to Variety, Fassbender is closing in on the lead role in the series, which would adapt Eric Rochant’s series ‘The Bureau’.
The original show was a big hit when it aired in France between 2015 and 2020.
It starred Matthieu Kassovitz as Guillaume Debailly — alias Paul Lefebvre, alias Malotru — a member of a clandestine branch of the French Secret Services (DGSE) who returns to his home base after a six-year mission in Damascus.
As he struggles to let go of his false identity and illicit affair with a Syrian woman, he finds himself playing a double game between the DGSE and the CIA. Storylines explored the psychology of secret agents, inclusion of geopolitical issues that resonated with current events and international locations.
With Clooney in the director’s chair, the new series was adapted by Rochant from his original show, so we can expect an update that touches on today’s thorny world politics.
The director’s occasional producing partner Grant Heslov is also attached to the series, which comes from their Smokehouse Pictures alongside MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios.
There’s no official casting for the show yet –– assuming Fassbender makes a deal, the rest of the ensemble will be built around him. And no one is saying whether Clooney will step in front of the camera; he didn’t show up on screen in his most recent movie, fact-based historical sports drama, ‘The Boys in the Boat’.
When will ‘The Department’ be on screens?
Showtime has handed the show a straight-to-series order, but given that spring start, we wouldn’t expect it on screen much before early next year.
What’s next for Fassbender?
Michael Fassbender has a couple of projects we’re waiting to see. Action comedy sequel ‘Kung Fury 2’ was shot a few years ago but still hasn’t made it to screens. And he’s also got ‘Kneecap’, the story of a real-life Irish rap group, headed our way later this year.
George Clooney and Tiffany Boone on the set of Netflix’s ‘The Midnight Sky.’
(Center) John Krasinski as Carter Rutherford in ‘Leatherheads.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
A light hearted comedy about the beginnings of Professional American Football. When a decorated war hero (Clooney) and college all star (John Krasinski) is tempted into playing professional football. Everyone see the chance to make some big money, but when a reporter (Renee Zellweger) digs up some dirt on the war hero… everyone could lose out.
(L to R) Julianne Moore as Rose and Matt Damon as Gardner Lodge in ‘Suburbicon.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world.
The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother (Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar. The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer.
(L to R) John Goodman, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bob Balaban and Bill Murray in ‘The Monuments Men.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, ‘The Monuments Men’ is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed?
Sam Rockwell as Chuck Barris in ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.’ Photo: Miramax Films.
Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. Television producer by day, CIA assassin by night, Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) was recruited by the CIA at the height of his TV career and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.
Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers in ‘The Ides of March.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.
Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman’s (Ryan Gosling) idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where ‘victory’ is relative.
