The movie Ocean’s Eleven”, was a huge success and Steven Soderbergh’s beloved 2001 heist comedy remains one of the director’s most star-studded films, thanks to an ensemble cast that includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle and many more. It turns out the group wanted even more stars, as Clooney recently confirmed reports that Mark Wahlberg and Johnny Depp had been approached to star in the film (via Entertainment Weekly).
“Steven had just directed Erin Brockovich and Traffic, and he was nominated for an Oscar for directing both of those films,” Clooney said during a discussion with Soderbergh at the TCM Film Festival. “People really wanted to work with Steven.
Star George Clooney lets loose on the pre-shoot of “Ocean Eleven” and says, “They did it,” and adds, “Some very famous people told us to go fuck ourselves. Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp. There were others. They regret it today. I regret making fucking Batman.”
He has a memory and Clooney recalled how they got mega-star Julia Roberts to play his character’s ex-wife.
“A script was sent to Julia and I wrote a note saying, ‘I hear you’re making $20 [million] a movie now,'” Clooney said. “We sent her a $20 bill… That made her laugh, and yeah, she got on board right away.
The film, “Ocean’s Eleven” was critically acclaimed and grossed $450 million at the worldwide box office. The film spawned a franchise that spawned two sequels with the original cast, “Ocean’s Twelve” in 2004 and “Ocean’s Thirteen” in 2007, as well as a female spin-off with “Ocean’s 8” in 2018, starring Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.
Warner Bros. is currently developing a reboot of the “Ocean’s” franchise, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles. Margot Robbie is expected to produce the film under her LuckyChap banner with Tom Ackerley and Michelle Graham. Gary Ross, Olivia Milch and Josey McNamara of LuckyChap will executive produce. Village Roadshow is also involved in the project as executive producer.