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‘Ocean’s Eight’ Release Date Unknown, Might Be Too Soon After ‘Ghostbusters’ Flop

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 05:05 PST, Aug 11, 2016

The Ocean’s Eight release date could be a mistake if it happens too soon. Fresh off the heels of the disappointing box office flop known as 2016’s Ghostbusters, it appears that Warner Bros. Pictures is set to reboot a reboot.

The original Ocean’s Eleven was not the one with George Clooney and Brad Pitt. They were simply the ones who made it a trilogy, albeit with a weak second entry. The original was actually the one starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, and Sammy Davis, Jr.. The cast was diverse enough to please most moviegoers looking for a fresh heist movie, and the actors had done other films together, such as Robin and the 7 Hoods.

The new all-female Ocean’s Eight release date appears to be attempting another step toward a growing Hollywood trend of replacing male actors with women. Unfortunately, this was already recently done, and Paul Feig and Sony Pictures are feeling the burn. Bringing together some of Saturday Night Live‘s best female comediennes apparently didn’t make it good enough, and the inclusion of Chris Hemsworth as their bumbling personal assistant likely didn’t sit well with the rest of the audience.

With a cast including Sandra Bullock, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling, and one other top-tier actress, it seems that Warner Bros. Pictures is looking for talent among more proven thespians. Aside from Rihanna, whose role in Battleship was one-note at best, and Awkwafina, everybody announced has had a degree of success in major motion pictures. This actually closely mirrors the “rat pack” cast of the original Ocean’s 11.

While some have praised the upcoming release date of Ocean’s Eight for its diversity, something they seem to have forgotten was that Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones were part of the team in the George Clooney sequel. Angie Dickinson was a headliner for the original film, as well. This could mean the unannounced cast member might be a male. None of the cast has been revealed to be the new Ocean yet, though it’s possible that Sandra Bullock might be Danielle Ocean or something.

It is rumored that Jennifer Lawrence was offered the role of the eighth member of the team, and she turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Having been instrumental in the new female takeover of Hollywood, she would have been a fitting addition. It might be interesting to see Julia Roberts return in a cameo as her original character to offer the eight some advice based on her experiences.

It may be a while before we see if this all-female Ocean’s Eight release date will be anywhere near as entertaining as the first two iterations. The timing of the announcement seems poor, though, as Ghostbusters just did the same thing and appears to be losing money at the box office.

Produced by Steven Soderbergh, the man who produced the George Clooney remake, the Ocean’s Eight release date shows promise. It will be directed by Hunger Games veteran Gary Ross, a man who has already successfully made four films with a female lead. Of course, Dan Aykroyd was a producer on the Ghostbusters remake, and it’s likely only because he created the idea behind the one with Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts.

The Ocean’s Eight release date could be the launching pad for a resounding blockbuster, but too much is unknown at this point. Moviegoers can only hope that it follows more in the footsteps of Mad Max: Fury Road, and not the Ghostbusters remake.

[Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images]

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