Wagner Moura is in negotiations to join Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper in Warner Bros. Pictures’ untitled Ocean’s Eleven prequel, with the Brazilian actor said to be eyed as the villain in the franchise return. The film already has a June 25, 2027 release date and is expected to start shooting in late July.
The casting talk matters because the project is no longer just a title on a studio slate. Robbie and Cooper are already attached in central roles, with Cooper directing, starring and producing, while Robbie is starring and producing through LuckyChap. Tom Ackerley is also producing, and the feature is set up as a period piece in 1962 at the Monaco Grand Prix, a sharp turn from the Vegas-heavy image most viewers associate with Ocean’s.
Robbie previewed that setup at CinemaCon earlier this year, saying, “Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows …his parents,” a line that made clear she and Cooper are understood to be playing them. That leaves Moura, if the negotiations close, in the story’s villain slot as the prequel moves from development toward cameras. The film also reaches back to a property tied to George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell, while carrying the Ocean’s name without bringing back George Clooney and the earlier cast.
For Moura, the timing is pointed. He has just drawn major awards attention for The Secret Agent, winning best actor at the Cannes Film Festival and best actor (drama) at the Golden Globes, and earning a best actor Academy Award nomination. His recent run has raised his profile well beyond Brazil, which makes him a logical fit for a studio project that wants both a recognizable name and a performer with range. He was also among the lead voices in Lucasfilm’s Maul: Shadow Lord and will next star with Greta Lee in The Last House, directed by Louis Leterrier, which Netflix plans to unveil on Aug. 7.
The only open question now is whether Moura’s deal gets across the line before the production heads to Paris and then the South of France. If it does, the prequel will have another major piece in place for a movie that is trying to sell a familiar brand without relying on the old Danny Ocean team to do it.
