The female-centricOcean’s 11spinoffOcean’s 8came together extremely fast. The film was barely even a prospect and then, before we knew it, an all-star cast had been assembled and production was underway in New York withCate Blanchettrocking a series of incredible outfits. The film is directed byHunger GamesandPleasantvillefilmmakerGary Ross, who is a close friend ofSteven Soderbergh’s, director of the previousOcean’strilogy. Soderbergh serves as a producer onOcean’s 8so there’s certainly connective tissue behind the scenes, and now it sounds like there’ll be a connection between this new franchise and the previous oneonscreenas well.
Speaking withET,Matt Damonrevealed that he’ll be shooting a cameo inOcean’s 8, presumably as hisOcean’scharacter Linus Caldwell, though he notes that he hasn’t read it yet. We previously learned that the initial idea was for this to be a fully fledged spinoff, withGeorge Clooneyreprising his role as Danny Ocean, but that idea was reportedly abandoned in favor of focusing simply on these new characters. But now, with Damon involved, it sounds like there may be a narrative connection between the two franchises after all.
Ross assembled one hell of a cast forOcean’s 8, as the new ensemble is led bySandra Bullockand includes Blanchett,Anne Hathaway,Mindy Kaling,Sarah Paulson,Awkwafina,Rihanna, andHelena Bonham Carter. Ross co-wrote the screenplay withOlivia Milchand is collaborating with director of photographyEigil Bryld(In Bruges), quashing my dream of seeing Soderbergh serve as cinematographer on this spinoff.
It’ll be interesting to see howOcean’s 8sets itself apart, and if it’ll kick off a new trilogy of films. Production is based in New York City and the plot reportedly revolves around a heist at a high-end fashion event, so that’s certainly a change of scenery from the gambling world of Las Vegas.
I’m also curious to see if Damon is the only cameo, or if we might see other familiar faces pop up here and there. We’ll find out whenOcean’s 8opens in theaters on August 02, 2025.
