Warner Brothers, currently embroiled in a heated and elongated merger/takeover with Paramount, announced its 2027 slate of films on Tuesday at Cinemacon in Las Vegas. In addition to a planned Superman sequel, a Melissa McCarthy Christmas movie, and the anticipated M. Night Shyamalan studio revival, Margot Robbie announced her involvement in a new Bradley Cooper-led and directed “Oceans 11” prequel film, called simply “Oceans,” reports Variety. According to Robbie, the film will follow the parents of Danny Ocean (George Clooney, or Frank Sinatra if you’re of a certain age) as they plot a Monagasque heist set against the background of the 1962 Grand Prix.
“Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows—his parents,” Robbie teased. “You’ll see them in their prime, and in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.”
Considering all of the glitz and glamor of Monaco in the 1960s, and the incredible spectacle that the Formula 1 circus brings along with it, this should be a great period piece with great wardrobing and some of the best car casting ever seen in a movie. I am really optimistic that this will be a good film, in spite of it being yet another in a long series of “Oceans” films. It seems the studio is trying to forget about the mild success of 2018’s “Oceans 8” and focus on the roaring cinematic appeal of the earlier Clooney/Pitt/Damon/Roberts trilogy.
Separate from this film, Clooney is also bringing his heist crew out of retirement in the present day for an “Ocean’s Fourteen” perhaps. The piece is set to begin filming in October, so if the Robbie/Cooper two-hander is a success, it could help boost Clooney’s meditation on an older and wiser Ocean’s gang. Roberts, Damon, Pitt, and Cheadle are onboard to reprise their roles. It would be interesting to see the crew return to Las Vegas for a modern juxtaposition with “Oceans” set during the 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix, though I doubt that’s what the studio is going with.
What was the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix like?
The 1962 Monaco Grand Prix was the second round of nine in that year’s Formula One World Championship of Drivers. The race saw Bruce McLaren win his third career F1 race aboard the Cooper-Climax, followed closely by a pair of Ferrari drivers in American Phil Hill and Italian Lorenzo Bandini. They were the only three drivers to finish on the lead lap, while just five additional drivers finished the event. An impressive 16 cars were retired or failed to make the start.
It seems unlikely that anyone reading this was present for the race, but you can watch a gorgeous film of the race above. Some of the greatest names in motorsport history were racing on the streets of Monaco on that June day in 1962. Legends of a time long gone, like Dan Gurney, Jo Siffert, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Graham Hill (pictured above), Ricardo Rodriguez, and Jo Bonnier to name a few. It’s one of those events that, given time travel technology, I would love to have gone back and witnessed with my own eyes. I can’t help but wonder who will make an appearance in the film portraying some of these legends of the sport.
It isn’t clear exactly what Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper will be heisting over the course of the film (or the race), but there was plenty of money and wealth in town that weekend. Maybe they’re going to steal Princess Grace Kelly’s royal jewels? Or they’re hitting the Casino de Monte-Carlo to jack a jackpot or two? We won’t know until the film drops in 2027, but I will be there with a huge bucket of popcorn and a Diet Coke bigger than my head. It’s bound to be miles more entertaining than the boring processional “race” that F1 has put on in the principality over the last couple of decades. I swear, cinephiles have been enjoying an incredible rennaissance of the movie-going experience. We’ve never had a better variety and the quality has really been pumped up lately. The movies have never been more back!
