Hathaway, Rihanna in all-female Ocean’s Eleven spin-off

Actresses Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, and singers Rihanna and Awkwafina have joined the ensemble heist film, dubbed Ocean’s Ocho.

Warner Bros is moving forward with its all-female spin-off of Ocean’s Eleven, and has filled seven of the eight titular spots. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, both of whom have been long rumoured to star in the movie, will head up the cast of the Gary Ross-helmed heist film that is scheduled to begin production in October in New York.

Ocean’s Eleven is a 2001 comedy heist film, by director Steven Soderbergh. He helmed two sequels, Ocean’s Twelve in 2004 and Ocean’s Thirteen in 2007, which make up the Ocean’s Trilogy. Soderbergh is expected to be involved with the spin-off. Olivia Milch and Ross have written the screenplay. The plan is for Soderbergh to finish shooting his own heist film Logan Lucky in Atlanta before segueing to the Ocean’s project.

The prospect of launching an all-female spin-off of a beloved franchise can be deemed a risky move, given that a similar all-female spin-off of Sony’s Ghostbusters failed to ignite at the box office in a way that justified the film’s USD 150 million budget. — PTI