Oscar nominee Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent,” “Civil War”) is in negotiations to join Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper in the new “Ocean’s” prequel for Warner Bros.
Cooper is directing the film, dated for release on June 25, 2027, and is also producing the project alongside LuckyChap, the company led by Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Milan Popelka and Robbie. Cooper wrote the screenplay, plot details of which are “locked in the vault.”
However, at CinemaCon, Robbie confirmed that the prequel will take place at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix and will follow the crafty parents of con-man Danny Ocean, the ringleader of the Las Vegas casino heist in “Ocean’s 11.”
“Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows — his parents,” Robbie teased during a sizzle reel of Warner Bros. 2027 slate. “You’ll see them in their prime, and in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.”
The original “Ocean’s 11” premiered in 1960, starring Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford and Dean Martin. The Steven Soderbergh-directed “Oceans Eleven,” starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, spawned two sequels (2004’s “Ocean’s Twelve” and 2007’s “Ocean’s Thirteen”), plus the 2018 “Ocean’s Eight” reboot with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna. The films have earned more than $1.4 billion at the global box office.
Executive producers include Josey McNamara, Bronte Payne, Bobby Wilhelm, Jay Roach, Michelle Graham, Lee Isaac Chung, Ashley Jay Sandberg, Gary Ross and Olivia Milch. The untitled prequel film is based on characters created by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell. Carrie Solomon handled previous drafts of the screenplay.
Earlier this year, Moura made history as the first Brazilian to be nominated for the best actor Oscar and the first to win the Golden Globe award for best actor in a drama, both prizes in recognition of his starring role in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.” Moura was also awarded the best actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival and by the New York Critics Circle for the towering performance. The actor is also known for his standout work in films like Alex Garland’s “Civil War” and for his impactful portrayal of cartel boss Pablo Escobar on Netflix’s “Narcos.”
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Moura will next star opposite Greta Lee in the Netflix sci-fiction thriller “The Last House,” directed by Louis Leterrier, as well as Rachel Rose’s directorial debut, “The Last Day,” with Alicia Vikander, which premiered at Tribeca. Other upcoming projects include “Last Night at the Lobster,” which he will direct and star alongside Elisabeth Moss and Brian Tyree Henry; Panos Cosmatos’ vampire thriller “Flesh of the Gods,” opposite Kristen Stewart; and “Art,” with Ralph Fiennes and Colin Farrell. Moura is repped by WME, Imprint and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
From Variety US