Guest Post – Ocean’s Fourteen movie unlikely to be filmed

Guest Post

Is it time for Danny Ocean and his crew to return to the big screen for another heist? Whispers about another “Ocean’s” movie have circulated on blogs, fan sites and forums since 2008. When Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven opened December 2001, the star-studded movie was a huge hit. The witty, fast-paced and stylish casino movie earned more than $38 million its opening weekend and went on to spawn two additional films, rounding out the trilogy with Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007).

Big Names = Big Box Office

The cast of Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels reads like the who’s who of Hollywood. George Clooney steps into the role of title character Danny Ocean with Brad Pitt at his side as Rusty Ryan, followed by Hollywood legends Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould and stars such as Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts and Andy Garcia. The crew also include Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison and Shaobo Qin as Yen. Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen are no less impressive with their big name casting, including stars such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin.

Beyond the star power of Ocean’s Eleven, the simple yet elegant storyline helped capture audiences’ attention. Danny Ocean, along with his buddy Rusty Ryan, assemble a specialized crew of thieves, con men and even a demolitions expert to pull off the impossible — a Las Vegas casino heists. Of course, the casino belongs to the guy Ocean’s ex-wife is now involved with, but that just adds to the intrigue. Director Steven Soderbergh didn’t take any chances gambling with inexperienced actors for these films. The cast gets the job done and the final box office tallies make it clear the fans would come back for another heist by the Ocean’s crew.

A Crew Member Lost

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac played Frank Catton in each Ocean’s movies. Frank, a card dealer and manicure-loving con man, becomes Danny Ocean’s first recruit when assembling the heist team. Sadly, actor Bernie Mac died on August 9, 2008 from complications of pneumonia. The loss of one of the original eleven and an integral cast member makes it unlikely a fourth Ocean’s film will commence.

When asked about the future of the Ocean’s movies and the likelihood of Ocean’s Fourteen, director Steven Soderbergh stated, “With Bernie Mac being gone, I don’t think any of us would want to return to that.” Soderbergh went on to comment that losing one of the main characters and original eleven would leave another film “feeling incomplete.”

Soderbergh and Cheadle: Done

Despite the box office success of Ocean’s Eleven,Twelveand Thirteen, the potential for Ocean’s Fourteen is minimal. Talk has been heard about the possibility of filming a fourth film in the gambling mecca of Macau. However, there has been no evidence from title character Clooney and director Soderbergh to add support this rumor and Steven Soderbergh has gone on record as declaring he has achieved what he wanted with the original three movies, stating, “I was done.”

Actor Don Cheadle who played demolitions expert Basher Tarr in all three movies also summed it up when asked about the possibility of Ocean’s Fourteen, “No. Done. It’s a wrap.”