TWISTERS Director Lee Isaac Chung in Talks to Helm OCEAN’S Prequel Film

After making waves with Minari and the big-screen spectacle of Twisters, the Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung, is now in talks to direct the upcoming Ocean’s prequel for Warner Bros.

The new film is being produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap banner, which previously brought us Barbie. While the full cast hasn’t been locked in yet, it was reported a couple of years ago that Robbie would reunite with her Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling for this high-stakes caper.

The script, written by Carrie Solomon (A Family Affair), is based on characters created by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell. Plot details are under wraps, but it will be set in in the 1960s, and if history is any indicator, expect clever schemes, stylish misdirection, and a crew of charismatic crooks pulling off something wildly ambitious.

The Ocean’s franchise has long been a box office powerhouse. The original trilogy starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts helped redefine the modern heist film, while the spin-off Ocean’s 8 brought Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway into the mix.

Collectively, the films have pulled in over $1.4 billion worldwide. Clooney himself once hinted at revisiting the character of Danny Ocean, joking to the New York Times that, “It’s like we’re all too old to do the jobs we used to be able to do.”

Chung brings an artistic depth to the table. He earned Oscar nods for directing and writing Minari and has also made his mark on projects like Munyurangabo, which debuted at Cannes, and episodes of The Mandalorian and Skeleton Crew. He’s also attached to direct Traveler, a sci-fi adaptation based on the novel by Joseph Eckert.

If Chung signs on, this Ocean’s prequel could blend stylish heist thrills with his sharp character work and storytelling chops. Stay tuned, this one's shaping up to be something very cool.