George Clooney’s ‘Ocean’s 14’ Has an ‘Ocean’s 8’ Retcon Problem

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George Clooney has announced a new Ocean’s movie, Ocean’s 14, bringing back the original crew. This creates a bit of a plot challenge, as the story will need to address the fact that the characters are now older. Clooney has said that Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle will also return. According to Clooney, the film will explore how the team, while not as physically capable as they once were, can still pull off a heist using their intelligence and experience. He told Variety that the idea of a team needing to adapt to their limitations was particularly appealing.

The next installment, Ocean’s 14, will be the fifth film in the series, which began with the 1960 classic Ocean’s Eleven featuring Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. The franchise is expanding, with plans for a prequel focusing on Danny Ocean’s parents and starring Margot Robbie, and possibly Bradley Cooper. While the plans sound promising, George Clooney announced Ocean’s 14 without explaining how it will fit into the existing storyline. Interestingly, the film will rewrite the events of the one Ocean’s movie Clooney hasn’t been in, and hopefully, this won’t negatively impact the beloved original.

​​​​George Clooney Seems To Have Forgotten That Danny Ocean Is Dead


Warner Bros. Pictures

The movie Ocean’s Eight, starring Sandra Bullock as Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie, opens with a surprising reveal: Danny Ocean is dead. Debbie shares this news right away during her parole hearing, stating her brother was a criminal. This came as a shock to audiences in 2018, as it meant the character wouldn’t appear in any future installments. Importantly, Ocean’s Eight is considered official canon within the series. The film not only focuses on Debbie but also features appearances from Danny’s old crew, including Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) and Yen (Shaobo Qin). While cameos with Matt Damon as Linus and Carl Reiner as Saul were filmed, they didn’t make the final cut.

The film Ocean’s Eight made it definitively clear that Danny Ocean has passed away. The movie repeatedly acknowledges his death: Debbie visits his grave shortly after his release from prison, and both Reuben and a friend, Amita, offer their condolences. In a touching final scene, Debbie pours two martinis at his graveside, one for herself and one for him, saying he would have enjoyed the recent heist. This leaves Ocean’s 14 with a significant challenge: how to follow up on a beloved series with a key character gone, and how to live up to the original films’ success.

How ‘Ocean’s 14’ Could Resurrect Danny From the Dead


Warner Bros. Pictures

The simplest way to bring George Clooney’s character back in Ocean’s 14 would be to reveal that Danny Ocean never actually died. He might have faked his death for several reasons, but perhaps he wanted to test his sister’s skills by letting her lead the Met Gala heist and gain some well-deserved attention. While this would change things a bit from the previous movie, it would open the door for the cast of Ocean’s Eight to team up with Danny’s crew in a new film. Given that the Ocean’s movies are known for their big stars, a sequel with Oscar winners like Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, Damon, and Bullock – along with Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway – would be a major event, assuming they all signed on.

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The only other possibility is that Ocean’s 14 could be a prequel to Ocean’s Eight, showing Danny Ocean’s final heist before he died. However, this doesn’t quite fit with what George Clooney has already said about the new movie’s story. If Danny was around 40 in Ocean’s Eleven, a prequel set before 2018 would make him nearly 60, which would make it hard to believe he’s suddenly lost his touch. It’s much more logical for Ocean’s 14 to be a sequel set around 2027, likely when the film will be released. This would put Danny in his mid-to-late 60s—closer to Clooney’s age—and take place 20 years after Ocean’s Thirteen, giving the characters a good reason to come out of retirement for one last job.

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2026-01-01 20:03