George Clooney is getting the band back together. Almost 20 years since he last reprised his role as Danny Ocean in the last Ocean’s installment, 2007’s Ocean’s 13, the Jay Kelly actor is ready for one more go at it. The franchise — a remake of the original 1960 Rat Pack heist film starring Frank Sinatra as Danny along with Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and more, and which also features the all-female spin-off Ocean’s 8 — initially starred Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, among many others, all of which appear likely to return for another go.
Recently speaking with E! News, George confirmed: “We just got the budget approved at Warner Bros. and we’re trying to set up,” and noted that now they just need to deal with scheduling. “So it’s just setting a start date for us. Probably start in about nine or 10 months, shooting.”
George appeared to indicate that his core co-stars will in fact return, when asked whether he was excited to reunite with them. “Yeah, Brad, Matt, and Don [Cheadle] and Julia. I had dinner last night with Julia. They’re all still really dear friends. And so, the chance to work together would be fun,” he said.
The E.R. alum has especially collaborated with Brad and Julia on a handful of projects since his last Ocean’s installment, Ocean’s 13, which came out in 2007. With Brad, he has since then co-starred with him on Burn After Reading (2008), the short Touch of Evil (2011), 8 (2012), and Wolfs (2024), while with Julia, he produced August: Osage County (2013) which she starred in, then both starred in Money Monster (2016) and Ticket to Paradise (2022).
George just came out of a six-month stint on Broadway, his Broadway debut, starring as famed journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck, a play based on his 2005 movie, itself based on how the CBS News team of the 1950s handled the Red Scare and McCarthyism. He and his wife Amal Clooney as well as their children, twins Ella and Alexander, eight, lived in New York City for the period.
Speaking with GQ last year about how he manages his time and work, and the fact that his Broadway gig meant moving his family to New York City for six months, he said: “I’m going to give myself time with my kids. I really enjoy driving them to school, and my wife and I are having a really wonderful time. So I don’t want to lose all of that.” Still, he did note at the time: “But this is an opportunity to do something that I have never done before. I’ve never been on Broadway. So we’re still trying to do things and new things and try things, but we’re also saying, ‘Well, let’s also remember that we want to see our life in a kind of nice way too.’ A little of both. Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
Back in May, he was nominated for his role as Murrow — he initially starred as Fred Friendly in his 2005 film — and though it ultimately went to Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!, at the time, he couldn’t help but gush about what a special time in his life working on his Broadway debut had been. He especially gushed about his wife’s support, and her own impressive accolades, telling E! News: “I have this incredible partner who I couldn’t be more proud of.” In May 2024, Amal was one of the legal experts who recommended that the ICC chief prosecutor seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in his ongoing war on Palestine, which on September 16 an independent United Nations inquiry ruled a genocide.
“She’s the bravest human being I’ve ever met in my life. I am deeply proud of her and the fact that she’s in any way proud of me, if just, I can’t believe how lucky I am,” George endearingly added.