Josh Gad has booked a significant role in the Ocean’s 11 prequel at Warner Bros., according to sources who spoke with Variety. He joins a cast led by Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper, who directs the untitled film, wrote its screenplay, and co-stars alongside Robbie in an origin story set decades before the original 1960 heist movie.
Casting has moved at a steady pace as the film nears production. Reps for Gad and Warner Bros. Pictures did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the addition.
What we know about the Ocean’s 11 prequel plot
Robbie revealed plot details during the studio’s CinemaCon presentation this spring. The story centers on the parents of Danny Ocean, the conman at the heart of the original 1960 film that starred Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford and Dean Martin. “Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows, his parents,” Robbie said. “You’ll see them in their prime, and in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.”
Further plot details remain under wraps. Cooper directs from his own script and also produces through LuckyChap, the company he runs with Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Milan Popelka and Robbie. Warner Bros. has set the film for release on June 25, 2027.
Who else is joining the cast
Gad joins an ensemble that already includes Oscar nominees Wagner Moura, cast as the film’s villain, and Monica Barbaro. The untitled prequel is based on characters created by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell, with Carrie Solomon credited on earlier drafts of the screenplay.
Executive producers on the project include McNamara, Bronte Payne, Bobby Wilhelm, Jay Roach, Michelle Graham, Lee Isaac Chung, Ashley Jay Sandberg, Gary Ross and Olivia Milch.
Gad’s schedule keeps filling up
The role adds to a busy slate for Gad, best known for voicing Olaf in the Frozen franchise and starring in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon. He also has Paramount’s Space Balls: The New One, sequels to Angry Birds and Frozen, and an adaptation of Oh, The Places You Will Go opposite Ariana Grande in the pipeline. He recently renewed his overall deal with 20th Century Television.
Since the original Ocean’s 11 premiered in 1960, the franchise has drawn A-list talent. Three Steven Soderbergh-directed films starred George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, and the 2018 spinoff Ocean’s Eight starred Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna. Those five films have combined for more than $1.4 billion at the global box office. Warner Bros. has not yet announced an official title or full cast list for the new prequel.