Sumith Prasad
The filming of the untitled ‘Ocean’s’ prequel will start in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in April 2024. The film, set in 1962, revolves around Elsie (Margot Robbie) and Jack (Ryan Gosling), who plan to steal valuable earrings at a mansion party by pretending to be a couple. Despite completing their mission, they develop a mutual dislike and separate after the party, with Elsie unknowingly taking the earrings. Later in Monte Carlo, they discover a priceless jewel owned by shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who annihilated Jack’s wartime comrades. Elsie and Jack then set out to destroy Onassis by preventing his victory in the rigged Monaco Grand Prix and stealing the diamond with the help of a team.
Jay Roach, who previously directed the Academy Award-nominated film ‘Trumbo,’ is at the helm of the prequel. Roach previously worked with Robbie in the 2019 biographical drama ‘Bombshell,’ also starring Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman. The filmmaker’s recent credits include Apple TV+’s comedy-drama series ‘High Desert,’ featuring Patricia Arquette. Carrie Solomon, who wrote Netflix’s Kidman and Zac Efron-starrer ‘A Family Affair,’ penned the screenplay.
Roach described the film as an “old-fashioned epic love story slash adventure disguised as a heist” to Lindsey Bahr of The Associated Press. “It is a heist movie still, but it’s very much a love story. And we were both inspired by Hitchcock, ‘To Catch a Thief’ but also ‘Notorious.’ It just wants to be a big, big, you know, cinematic spectacle,” the filmmaker added.
The prequel will mark the first collaboration of Gosling and Robbie after the global phenomenon ‘Barbie.’ Gosling is currently gearing up for the release of ‘The Fall Guy,’ in which he stars alongside Emily Blunt. The actor also played Six in the Russo Brothers’ action thriller ‘The Gray Man.’ Robbie, on the other hand, portrayed Augie Steenbeck’s wife in Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ before giving life to the titular character in ‘Barbie,’ alongside Gosling’s Ken.
In the interview with Bahr, Roach revealed that there were discussions about whether it would be “weird” to have Gosling and Robbie feature together in the film after ‘Barbie.’ “But I think there’s just some pairings you want to see over and over again. It’s such a powerful, powerful duo, you know? And it’s the suspense of will they come together; will they trust each other enough to team up? That’s romantic. That’s why ‘Notorious’ is one of the most romantic movies I’ve ever seen, because they don’t trust each other, and they need to trust each other. That’s the heart of what I want to do,” the filmmaker added.
The heist thriller is produced by Robbie, Tom Ackerly, and Josey McNamara’s LuckyChap Entertainment, along with Roach and Michelle Graham’s Everyman Pictures. “I can’t really say much but I think we’re just trying to do right by the franchise. I’m excited for people to experience it when it’s ready,” McNamara told GamesRadar about the project. Monte Carlo, the principal location of the film, previously hosted the shooting of ‘Ocean’s Twelve,’ the third movie in the franchise.
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