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Ocean’s Eleven prequel filming is underway in Paris, giving the first clear look at Bradley Cooper and Monica Barbaro at work on the next chapter of Warner Bros.’ long-running heist franchise.
People reported on August 18 that Cooper and Barbaro were photographed on the Paris set, with Cooper wearing a headset as he worked behind the camera and Barbaro appearing in period-inspired costume. The production is scheduled for a June 25, 2027 theatrical release.
The still-untitled film is not a remake of Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 Ocean’s Eleven. Instead, it is designed as a prequel set decades earlier, with Cooper and Margot Robbie leading a new ensemble. That gives the project room to borrow the franchise’s polished heist energy without simply rebuilding George Clooney’s crew.
Cooper is taking on unusually broad responsibility. He is writing, directing and starring in the film, while Robbie is producing through LuckyChap and also has a major role. The Paris shoot makes the project feel much more concrete after several years of development and changes behind the camera.
Ocean’s Eleven prequel filming puts Bradley Cooper in charge
The new film marks another expansion of Cooper’s directing career. After A Star Is Born, Maestro and Is This Thing On?, he is moving into a glossy studio franchise that depends on pace, ensemble chemistry and visual confidence rather than the more intimate character focus of his previous directing work.
Wowplus has previously followed Bradley Cooper’s changing public image and long Hollywood career. The Ocean’s project adds a different kind of test: he is not only the lead actor but also the person responsible for shaping a property associated with one of the most recognizable casts of the 2000s.
Cooper joined the project as writer and director after Lee Isaac Chung stepped away. That change could have delayed the film, but production has now moved forward in Europe. Photographs from Paris show that the shoot has reached the point where principal cast members are actively working on location.
The decision to film in Paris also suits the project’s historical setting. The story has been linked to the early 1960s and to the Monaco Grand Prix, giving the filmmakers a glamorous European backdrop rather than the Las Vegas casinos most closely associated with the modern Ocean’s trilogy.
Margot Robbie is central to the prequel’s identity
Robbie has been attached to the film for years and is expected to star opposite Cooper. She also brings production experience through LuckyChap, the company behind projects that have ranged from Barbie to smaller filmmaker-driven releases.
That combination of movie-star appeal and producing influence makes her an important bridge between the familiar Ocean’s brand and the prequel’s new identity. Wowplus previously examined the creative choices behind Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, starring Robbie, a film that showed how a heavily branded studio property can still develop a distinct tone.
Details of the Ocean’s plot remain limited, but reports have connected Cooper and Robbie’s characters to Danny Ocean’s family history. If that remains the final direction, the prequel can create a generational link to Clooney’s Danny without forcing the new actors to imitate the original ensemble.
The historical setting also opens the door to a different visual language. Costumes, cars, hotels and European locations can make the movie feel like a classic caper while still leaving room for the quick pacing and playful deception expected from an Ocean’s story.
Monica Barbaro adds a rising star to a large ensemble
Barbaro’s appearance on the Paris set confirms that she is now actively filming after earlier reports placed her in the cast. Her role has not been fully explained publicly, which makes the first production images more interesting without revealing much about the story.
She arrives with experience in large-scale studio filmmaking after Top Gun: Maverick, as well as an Oscar-nominated performance in A Complete Unknown. Wowplus has covered the cast and crew behind Top Gun: Maverick, where Barbaro played pilot Natasha “Phoenix” Trace.
The prequel’s wider cast also includes Wagner Moura, Josh Gad, Vicky Krieps, George MacKay, Lauren Ridloff and Omar Sy. That lineup suggests Cooper is building the same kind of personality-driven ensemble that has always been essential to the Ocean’s formula.
A heist film needs more than a clever plan. Much of the entertainment comes from watching contrasting personalities argue, improvise and reveal hidden skills. The original trilogy understood that the crew itself was the attraction, and the new film will need to create its own version of that chemistry rather than relying on nostalgia.
Why the Paris shoot matters for the Ocean’s franchise
The production arrives while the broader Ocean’s universe is still valuable to Warner Bros. The 2001 film revived a title that began with the 1960 Rat Pack movie, then expanded into sequels and the female-led Ocean’s 8. A period prequel offers another route back into the brand without continuing the same timeline directly.
At the same time, reports have continued to circulate about a possible future reunion involving members of Clooney’s original crew. That means the studio may eventually have two different Ocean’s directions: a younger historical story and a later sequel focused on familiar characters.
The challenge for the prequel is therefore balance. It has to look and feel connected enough to the franchise to justify the name, but it also needs a reason to exist beyond recognition. Cooper’s role as writer-director gives the film a strong creative center, while Robbie, Barbaro and the international ensemble give it a cast that can stand on its own.
Ocean’s Eleven prequel filming in Paris is the first visible sign that years of development have turned into an actual movie. The costumes and locations hint at a stylish period caper, but the bigger question will be whether Cooper can build a new crew with the effortless chemistry that made the franchise famous in the first place.
Isiagu Tobby
Wowplus editorial contributor.
