INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

New All-Female ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Movie Scores ‘Hunger Games’ Director, Fans Still Think It Will Be Cringeworthy

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 01:23 PST, Nov 7, 2015

Ocean’s Eleven, a movie originally released in 1960 and then remade in 2001, is gearing up for a reboot. But this reboot comes with a twist. We won’t be seeing the beloved cast of phenomenal actors that graced the screen in the original movie. There will be no George Clooney, no Brad Pitt, no Matt Damon. There won’t even be any men, at least not in the main cast of characters, because this reboot will feature an all-female cast led by Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock.

What do people think of this gender swap? Twitter has lit up with comments, some positive and some not so positive.

It does seem as though Hollywood is on a gender swap kick this year, with an all-female Ghostbusters reboot in the works. Perhaps this comes in the wake of the gender inequality issues in Hollywood that have been brought to light.

Cosmopolitan reports that thus far, Sandra Bullock is the only actress to be cast, chosen to fill the role originally played by George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven. Of course, this leads to speculation as to who the other female cast members will be, with suggestions including Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong’o, Ellen Page, Angeline Jolie, Emily Blunt, and Mindy Kaling.

What does George Clooney think about this all-female Ocean’s Eleven reboot? After all, The Telegraph reveals that Sandra Bullock’s role in her latest movie Our Brand Is Crisis was originally written for George Clooney. While there haven’t been any comments from Clooney, he is actually one of the masterminds and producers behind the new Ocean’s Eleven movie, so he must be okay with it!

Who will be directing the new Ocean’s Eleven movie? Time reports that Steven Soderbergh will step aside for Gary Ross, who is well known for his work on The Hunger Games. The screenplay has been written by Olivia Milch, which means they have a woman at the helm of the script. Others involved in the early planning of the reboot include Steven Soderbergh and the late producer Jerry Weintraub. However, as E! Online reports, the idea had to be put on hold when Weintraub died this past July. Now it seems they are moving full steam ahead.

If anyone can carry the lead role in Ocean’s Eleven, it’s Sandra Bullock. She is a dynamo who has stepped into a number of roles that are outside of the stereotypical realm of what women in Hollywood typically do. She doesn’t just play the mom and housewife. But should Hollywood be rebooting old movies with females cast in the leading roles originally written for men or should the focus instead be on creating new and strong roles for these women to take and make their own? Today’s Zaman perhaps says it best.

“Slotting actresses into roles that male actors were initially intended to occupy could just as easily result in movies where women are determined to be interesting and admirable only when they act like men often do in films.”

Ultimately, with an all-star cast, the new Ocean’s Eleven movie will be a hit. Sandra Bullock will nail her role, as will all the other women cast in the movie. People might even love it enough to do a sequel. After all, the original Ocean’s Eleven reboot (2001) was the first of a trilogy. Here is the trailer to the 2001 movie.

Can’t you just see Sandra Bullock pulling off the George Clooney role? But hopefully more thought will go into writing strong roles meant for women to take on in future movies.

[Photo by Jason Merritt / Getty Images]

Share this article: New All-Female ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Movie Scores ‘Hunger Games’ Director, Fans Still Think It Will Be Cringeworthy
brad pitt george clooney emily blunt sandra bullock matt damon ghostbusters the hunger games jennifer lawrence ellen page Mindy Kaling Lupita Nyong'o
More from Inquisitr