Warner Bros. is looking to inject fresh energy into one of its most iconic franchises, with acclaimed filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung in talks to direct a new Ocean's prequel. The project, which is being produced by Margot Robbie's LuckyChap banner, is still in the early stages of development and remains tightly under wraps - fittingly secretive for a franchise known for its high-stakes heists and twisty plots.
At this stage, plot details are still being kept under wraps, with no confirmed casting yet. However, the film already has a screenplay in place from writer Carrie Solomon, and it is based on characters originally created by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell.
Chung, best known for his immigrant family drama Minari, has become one of the most respected directors of his generation. He received two Academy Award nominations for Minari, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while the film itself earned six Oscar nominations overall and won Best Supporting Actress for Youn Yuh-jung. It also swept honors at Sundance 2020, taking home both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, and was recognized by the AFI and National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of the year.
Chung's most recent film, Twisters, the high-octane disaster reboot from Universal and Warner Bros., debuted to a thunderous $81.2 million domestic opening and has since grossed over $372 million worldwide.
The Ocean's brand originated with the 1960 Rat Pack classic Ocean's 11, which featured Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Angie Dickinson. In 2001, Steven Soderbergh revitalized the property with Ocean's Eleven, casting George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Andy Garcia in what would become a trilogy of films beloved for their slick style and ensemble chemistry. In 2018, the franchise expanded further with Ocean's 8, a spinoff led by Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna. Combined, the four Ocean's films have pulled in over $1.4 billion globally.
With this upcoming prequel, Warner Bros. appears keen to both expand and refresh the Ocean's universe, possibly tapping into an earlier era of the franchise's mythos. LuckyChap, known for producing critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles like Barbie, Promising Young Woman, and Saltburn, adds further promise to the project, known for backing stories with distinctive voices and high production value.
A first-generation Korean American who grew up on a small farm in Arkansas, Chung attended Yale University with plans for a medical career before shifting gears to pursue filmmaking. He later earned his MFA in film studies from the University of Utah. His earlier work includes the critically acclaimed Munyurangabo, which premiered at Cannes in 2007, and he has also directed episodes of The Mandalorian and the upcoming Star Wars series Skeleton Crew. He is also attached to direct a feature adaptation of Traveler, a sci-fi novel by Joseph Eckert.
Tags: lee isaac chung, ocean's eleven, luckychap