‘Ocean’s’ Prequel Starring Margot Robbie Loses Director Lee Isaac Chung

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The upcoming Ocean’s Eleven prequel, starring Margot Robbie, has lost its director. Warner Bros. is still moving forward with Ocean’s Fourteen, which will bring back the original cast – George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and others – for another heist movie. However, the prequel, where Robbie was set to play the mother of Danny and Deborah Ocean, will no longer be directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who previously directed films like Minari and Twisters.

According to Deadline, Lee Isaac Chung, the director and writer behind the 2021 film Minari, is no longer involved with the Ocean’s project. Warner Bros. stated the departure was a friendly decision stemming from differing creative visions. Both Warner Bros. and LuckyChap Entertainment released a joint statement confirming this.

I’m a huge admirer of Lee Isaac’s work. He’s truly a one-of-a-kind filmmaker, and working with him has been amazing for both Warner Bros. and LuckyChap. Every experience just makes us even more excited about what we can create together in the future – we really hope to collaborate with him again and again.

The Constant Changes Behind the Scenes to ‘The Ocean’s Prequel


Warner Bros. Pictures

News about a prequel to Ocean’s first surfaced in May 2022, with Margot Robbie slated to star. Jay Roach, the director behind films like Austin Powers, Meet the Parents, and Meet the Fockers, was set to direct. By August 2022, Ryan Gosling joined the cast, reuniting with Robbie after their work on Barbie. He was cast as Robbie’s husband and the father of George Clooney and Sandra Bullock’s characters, Danny and Deborah Ocean. However, production faced considerable setbacks in 2023 because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes.

In July 2025, Lee Isaac Chung took over as director of the upcoming Ocean’s prequel after Roach stepped down. Chung’s film Twisters, a sequel to the 1996 movie, was a major success in 2024, earning $372 million worldwide. By October 2025, Bradley Cooper was being considered to replace Gosling in the project. Warner Bros. then decided to focus on Ocean’s Fourteen, a direct sequel to the original Ocean’s trilogy. Directed by David Leitch, who also directed Bullet Train, Ocean’s Fourteen is scheduled to begin filming in August 2026, with a planned release in 2027.

Warner Bros. is searching for a new director for the upcoming Ocean’s prequel. The project is a priority for the studio, especially with Margot Robbie attached – she’s a frequent collaborator who starred as Harley Quinn in the DC Universe and led their blockbuster film Barbie, as well as recently contributing to the success of Wuthering Heights. Director Lee Isaac Chung was originally slated to direct a sci-fi drama called The Traveler for Skydance, a project announced in January 2025, before committing to Ocean’s. Because Paramount Skydance is acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, both Ocean’s and The Traveler will soon be produced under the same company.

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2026-03-05 02:47