One of the hot button issues in Hollywood right now is proper inclusion and visibility in the media. The call for more diverse stories and casts have been made louder recently, and Gary Ross' new heist film Ocean's 8 seem to answer the call. Featuring a diverse, all-star cast of actresses, the Ocean's spinoff won box office supremacy during its first weekend, managing to overcome Solo: A Star Wars Story in the process. Given the film's success, sequel talk has already begun, with cast members like Sarah Paulson vocally supporting the idea. Plenty of names are being thrown around to possibly join the motley crew of crooks, and now none other than Oprah Winfrey has expressed her interest. When recently asked if she'd like to join an Ocean's 8 sequel, Oprah said the following,
I'm in! I'm in ladies. Isn't it like the biggest Ocean's ever with all of them combined? Hello? Me too! Me too!
And just like that, the legendary Oprah Winfrey has thrown her name into the hat to join a possible Oceans' sequel. Now the question is whether or not Gary Ross and the cast would like to return for another all-female heist film. But now that ET revealed they could land Oprah, maybe the process can begin.
While the all-female Ghostbusters was met with massive early backlash due to its less than stellar first trailer, Ocean's 8 was spared most of the same hate. This may be due to the franchise's history of rebooting and changing casts, or because the actresses assembled for the film were just so stellar. With Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett leading the big heist, the crew is filled out with the ranks of stars like Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Rihanna. And while the critical reception was mixed to positive, it's opening weekend made a whopping 41.5 million. To put that in context, the entire movie was made on a budget of $70 million, meaning it'll easily start turning a profit.
Spoiler alert!
Ocean's 8 ended with the crew of characters pulling off the dream heist, and making millions of dollars from swiping Cartier jewelry from the Met Ball. Everyone managed to escape unharmed, and Anne Hathaway's delightfully abhorrent Daphne joined the crew in the process. There's nothing to say that another job might not come up for a sequel, reuniting the ladies for another unpredictable job. Through their press tour, it seemed like the cast really hit it off, and would be down to reunite for another blockbuster. This would open things up narratively, with Debbie's crew already having preexisting relationships. But the real question is whether or not Gary Ross and company could get Rihanna back on board, and she's got a busy schedule as one of the world's biggest pop stars.
If Ocean's 8 gets a sequel, hopefully including Oprah Winfrey, it would be interesting to see if the film ends up more closely connecting to the Ocean's Eleven franchise. The new movie makes plenty of references and features a few brief cameos, but there wasn't any George Clooney sighting. Matt Damon actually filmed a cameo, but it ultimately didn't make it into Ocean's 8's final cut.
Ocean's 8 is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
