Gary Ross

Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Sarah Paulson lead a stellar cast of con artists in the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ spinoff.

The cast and director of ‘Ocean’s 8’ reveal the inspirations behind the heist film, what cameos to expect, and an amazing Helena Bonham Carter story.

Any list of the best movie remakes of all-time has to include Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven, a classy, canny update of the Rat Pack heist flick that originally starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Angie Dickinson. Soderbergh’s Ocean’s was an even more star-studded affair featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. The critically acclaimed and commercially successful comedy ultimately spawned two sequels; together, the three Soderbergh Ocean’s made more than $1.1 billion worldwide, a number so large it would even impress Sinatra and Clooney’s Danny Ocean.

We’ll just have to wait a while to get it.

‘Ocean’s Eight,’ the all-female heist comedy spinoff of Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ might be getting another new cast member. For the past few weeks the film has been collecting star after star like a poker player scooping up thousand-dollar chips, and multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Sarah Paulson is the most recent to be in talks to join the fun.

We’ve heard rumblings for a while about Gary Ross’ all-female ‘Oceans 11' reboot. In addition to Sandra Bullock leading the film, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling and Helena Bonham Carter have all been rumored. Now three more spots have reportedly been filled in what is some of the weirdest casting news in a while.

Remember those days in high school where your regular history teacher would call in sick and some anonymous substitute would just put on a VHS of Glory or Gettysburg and call it a day? It turns out that practice is still alive and well at universities across the country, with one small difference: instead of some random recent college graduate as a substitute teacher, these students will be visited by Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey.

When Cate Blanchett was initially rumored for the Ocean’s Eleven spinoff, so too was the film’s working title: Ocean’s Ocho, which refers to the number of characters in the ensemble for Gary Ross’ female-fronted heist project. Ross himself has now officially confirmed the title for the film, which he’s been developing with original Ocean’s trilogy director Steven Soderbergh for some time now. And if you’re wondering just how similar Ross’ film will be to its predecessors, the answer is “pretty similar.”

We’re still not entirely sure what to call the new female-fronted Ocean’s Eleven movie, but whatever it is, it’s assembling some seriously great talent. In addition to Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lawrence has been reportedly considering joining the lineup, while the latest name eyeing the sorta-sequel / Ocean’s-adjacent project is none other than the great Cate Blanchett — a name that would take this project from a curiosity to a must-see.

The Oscars aren’t until February, but we already have a contender for next award season, sort of, with the first trailer for Free State of Jones. From Hunger Games director Gary Ross, the new Civil War-era film stars Matthew McConaughey as a confederate soldier who turns against his southern brethren and attempts to establish a free state in Mississippi. Yes, it’s another installment in the “a white man will save us all” genre, but as usual, McConaughey is running on all cylinders.