Now, via Deadline, there is news that Cooper may also re-write and direct the new movie, in addition to his acting duties.
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The news comes on the heels of ‘Twisters’ director Lee Isaac Chung stepped away from the movie, citing creative differences with the studio and star/producer Robbie.
Yet Deadline also cautions that Cooper has signed no deals yet, so all this is still up in the air.
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The script remains a secret, though previous stories hinted 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. And, if the connection to the ‘Ocean’s franchise holds true, they might just be the parents of Danny Ocean, as played by George Clooney in the main movies.
Carrie Solomon wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, but Cooper, assuming he does actually end up working on the movie, may start afresh.
When will the ‘Ocean’s’ prequel movie be on screens?
We’ve yet to learn when the film will land in cinemas, and Deadline’s story mentions an attempt to have it shooting before the end of this year, so 2027 is still possible.
Margot Robbie at the Los Angeles World Premiere of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Photo Credit: David Jon Photography.
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Hired to cover up a high-profile crime, a fixer (Clooney) soon finds his night spiralling out of control when he’s forced to work with an unexpected counterpart (Brad Pitt).
Financial TV host Lee Gates (Clooney) and his producer Patty (Julia Roberts) are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes over their studio.
Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack (Clooney) embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.
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? Starring Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett.
A group of American soldiers (Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube) stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that’s destined to change everything.
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean (Clooney) is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny’s hand-picked crew of specialists (including Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle) 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).
The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes (Clooney) uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Clooney) bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family. Also featuring the voices of Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson.
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts (Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson) search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations. Based upon Homer’s ‘Odyssey’.
Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a brilliant medical engineer on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space.
The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
When a disc containing memoirs of former CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt), they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit. Clooney plays Harry Pfarrer, a U.S. Marshal having an affair with Cox’s wife (Tilda Swinton).
Meet Jack Foley (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.
Famous movie actor Jay Kelly (Clooney) embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager, Ron (Adam Sandler).
With his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King (Clooney) takes his daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker (Matthew Lillard), who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.
Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham (Clooney) spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman (Vera Farmiga) who causes him to rethink his transient life. Also starring Anna Kendrick.
George Clooney in ‘Michael Clayton’. Photo: Warne Bros.
A law firm brings in its “fixer” (Clooney) to remedy the situation after a lawyer (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit. Also starring Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack.
Margot Robbie is already aboard to star and produce.
Lee Isaac Chung will call the shots.
Looks like the tide is truly turning on the ‘Ocean’s movies. Though perhaps given the true themes of the franchise, it should be the odds are switching in their favor.
But just a few days after George Clooney offered a positive update on the status of the latest main entry, ‘Ocean’s Fourteen’, comes an update on the prequel movie set in the same cinematic universe.
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The script remains a secret, though previous stories hinted 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. And, if the connection to the ‘Ocean’s franchise holds true, they might just be the parents of Danny Ocean, as played by Clooney in the main movies.
This marks a change in casting terms –– for a while, it looked like the movie would be a ‘Barbie’ reunion for Robbie and Ryan Gosling, but Gosling has since dropped out of talks. Go back to your mojo dojo casa house, Ken!
Cooper, meanwhile, has wanted to work with Robbie for a while now, and finally seems to be getting the opportunity. He enthused about his future co-star’s worth ethic to Variety:
Cooper’s latest directorial effort, comedy drama ‘Is This Thing On?’ recently premiered at the New York Film Festival.
The movie, inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop, stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern, with Cooper taking a supporting role.
When will the ‘Ocean’s’ prequel movie be on screens?
We’ve yet to learn when this one will land in cinemas, but the Cooper development suggests it’ll be shooting next year, so 2027 is a likely release year.
(L to R) George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. Photo: Warner Bros.
Preview:
George Clooney says ‘Ocean’s 14’ budget has been approved.
The movie, with director David Leitch attached, should be shooting next year.
Stars Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle are all likely to return.
It has been years since we last saw the heist-happy crew of the ‘Ocean’s’ movies. There has been chatter about an ‘Ocean’s 14’ in recent years, and things are clearly moving forward. ‘The Fall Guy’s David Leitch was reported as in talks to direct in January, and now, per star/producer George Clooney says that it’s looking good for production in 2026.
“We just got the budget approved at Warner Bros. and we’re trying to set up. It’s just scheduling, so it’s just setting a start date for us. Probably start in about nine or 10 months, shooting.”
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The original ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy, directed by Steven Soderbergh, launched in 2001 with ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ a critical favorite and a commercial hit with just over $450 million at the worldwide box office.
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.’ ”
Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.
Unlucky assassin Ladybug (Pitt) is determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe—all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives—on the world’s fastest train.
In year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age, two emerging nations begin to clash. Paris (Orlando Bloom), the Trojan prince, convinces Helen (Diane Kruger), Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox) to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. They set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy.
Outlaw Jesse James (Pitt) is rumored to be the ‘fastest gun in the West’. An eager recruit into James’ notorious gang, Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother (Sam Rockwell) sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.
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 (Elliot 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.
In the last months of World War II, as the Allies make their final push in the European theatre, a battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant named ‘Wardaddy’ (Pitt) commands a Sherman tank called ‘Fury’ and its five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.
Brad Pitt in ‘World War Z’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Pitt) and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.
On the day of his retirement, a veteran CIA agent (Robert Redford) learns that his former protégé (Pitt) has been arrested in China, is sentenced to die the next morning in Beijing, and that the CIA is considering letting that happen to avoid an international scandal.
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
Despite pulling off one of the biggest heists in Las Vegas history and splitting the $160 million take, each of the infamous Ocean’s crew have tried to go straight, lay low and live a legit life … but that’s proven to be a challenge. Casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) demands that Danny Ocean (George Clooney) return the money, plus millions more in interest. Unable to come up the cash, the crew is forced to come together to pull off another series of heists, this time in Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam – but a Europol agent is hot on their heels.
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Pitt), and Samuel (Henry Thomas). Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.
In the year 2035, convict James Cole (Bruce Willis) reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth’s population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he’s arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and the son of a famous virus expert (Pitt) who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.
A husband (Pitt) and wife (Angelina Jolie) struggle to keep their marriage alive until they realize they are both secretly working as assassins. Now, their respective assignments require them to kill each other.
Clarence (Christian Slater) marries hooker Alabama (Patricia Arquette), steals cocaine from her pimp (Gary Oldman), and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.
Racing legend Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver (Damson Idris), while chasing one more chance at glory.
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).
Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button (Pitt) springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy (Cate Blanchett), a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.
When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Pitt), they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit.
Brad Pitt in ‘Moneyball’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
The story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane’s (Pitt) successful attempt to put together a baseball team on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt) soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl (Mélanie Laurent) who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) whose crimes are based on the “seven deadly sins” in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset (Morgan Freeman) researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer’s mind, while his novice partner, Mills (Pitt), scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac (Edward Norton) and a slippery soap salesman (Pitt) channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground “fight clubs” forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth (Pitt), his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha).
(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.
But later in 2024, we’ll see them in meatier roles for a new crime thriller called ‘The Instigators’, in which they play two thieves pulling off a desperate robbery.
Apple TV+ was quick to snap this one up and has the first images from the movie online.
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What’s the story of ‘The Instigators’?
Rory (Damon) and Cobby (Affleck) are reluctant partners: a desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to pull off a robbery of the ill-gained earnings of a corrupt politician. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by police, but also backwards bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses.
Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) to join their riotous getaway through the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to evade capture –– or worse.
And for Damon, this was a chance to reunite with his ‘Bourne Identity’ director. This is what he said:
“I absolutely love working with Doug. I can’t believe it took us 20 years to find something else to do together. Doug is one of the most creatively tenacious people I’ve ever met. He just won’t stop until the movie is as good as it can be, and that is the best possible thing you can feel from a director. I trust him completely.”
“‘The Instigators’ is about two strangers who are hired for a heist. They become frenemies and then become friends while Jack Harlow yells at us, Paul Walter Hauser insults us, Ving Rhames hunts us, and Hong Chau keeps us alive.”
When will ‘The Instigators’ land on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ will start streaming the new movie on August 9th. Hopefully Liman is already aware it’ll be going directly there; we don’t need another ‘Road House’ protest.
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
Yet he’s already putting the pieces together for another film, and it features another batch of exciting actors, with legendary writer David Koepp also on board.
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What are the details of Steven Soderbergh’s next film?
As originally reported by Jeff Sneider at The InSneider newsletter, ‘Black Bag’ is now out to studios and other potential backers, so any forward progress will depend on a deal for financing and distribution. But given the talent involved, we don’t think that’ll be a problem.
The aim is to shoot this one in May in London, which confirms a U.K. setting, but other details including the plot are being kept quiet for now.
‘Black Bag’ would reunite the director with two actors, who appeared in different past projects for him –– Blanchett was among the leads of 2006 noir ‘The Good German’, while Fassbender was a key part of the cast for 2011’s action thriller ‘Haywire’.
And Koepp is also a previous collaborator with the filmmaker. The writer, famous for the likes of ‘Jurassic Park’ and the original ‘Mission Impossible’ (among a long list of credits), wrote ‘Kimi’ for Soderbergh, which was released via streaming service Max in 2022, and also worked on ‘Presence’.
This is just the latest secretive high-profile project featuring a big-name director and potential cast, as Ryan Coogler has a project with Michael B. Jordan attached to star that is generating plenty of interest.
Is Steven Soderbergh returning to the ‘Ocean’s’ franchise?
(L to R) George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt in 2004’s ‘Ocean’s Twelve.’
Soderbergh’s busy schedule certainly seems to point to the idea that he won’t be making any more ‘Ocean’s movies after directing the trilogy and being an executive producer on ‘Ocean’s Eight’ (which co-starred Blanchett).
And indeed, when asked by Variety whether he’d return, he was quick to shoot down any such idea.
Here’s what Soderbergh said a few days ago:
“After we made the third movie, I felt like the series was very much concluded for me. When the studio approached me to see if I’d be involved in continuing the franchise, I told them no, because it just doesn’t feel like a move forward for me. I’m chasing something else.”
Now we know what else…
Steven Soderbergh, winner of the Best Director Oscar for the film ‘Traffic’ poses for a photo backstage at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards March 25 in Los Angeles.
