‘Ocean’s Eleven’ prequel hits roadbump after director quits over “creative differences”
The Ocean’s Eleven prequel has hit a bump in the road after losing its director, Lee Isaac Chung, over key “creative differences”.
The film, which will delve into the Oceans world before the events of the 2001 heist movie Ocean’s Eleven, will star Bradley Cooper and Margot Robbie, who is also a producer through her company, LuckyChap.
However, things aren’t all smooth sailing for the star-studded project, as Minari director Chung has now left the film due to what Warner Bros deemed “creative differences”.
The studio released a joint statement with LuckyChap via The Hollywood Reporter explaining the surprise exit. The statement began, “Lee Isaac is a singular filmmaking talent whose vision and partnership have been invaluable to Warner Bros. and LuckyChap throughout this journey.”
It went on, “Our experience with him has only deepened our enthusiasm to collaborate on future projects together.”
The original 1960 Ocean’s Eleven starred Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack; it was remade in 2001, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt and directed by Steven Soderbergh.
The concept received a new breath of life in 2018, with an all-female spin-off starring Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, and Cate Blanchett, after the success of sequels in 2004 and 2007.
Thankfully, the other project forthcoming in the Oceans universe seems to be ticking along just fine. It was recently announced that Clooney and Pitt will return for another Ocean’s sequel, alongside Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.
He revealed excitedly last October, “We just got the budget approved at Warner Brothers, and we’re trying to set up. It’s just scheduling, so it’s just setting a start date for us, probably starting about nine or ten months.”
The Oscar-nominated director Chung, who also directed the blockbuster Twisters, is yet to publicly address his shock exit.
Robbie’s latest project saw her charge forward as the lead in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, while Cooper starred in 2025’s Is This Thing On? alongside Will Arnett.
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