“Twisters” director Lee Isaac Chung is no longer directing the “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel for Warner Bros. Pictures due to creative differences.
In a statement to TheWrap on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. said that “this is an amicable split due to creative differences,” additionally sharing that a search for a new director is currently underway.
Margot Robbie is producing the project via her Lucky Chap banner.
“Lee Isaac is a singular filmmaking talent whose vision and partnership have been invaluable to Warner Bros. and LuckyChap throughout this journey,” Warner Bros and Lukychap added. “Our experience with him has only deepened our enthusiasm to collaborate on future projects together.”
The script is from “A Family Affair” writer Carrie Solomon. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the new film is known to be an “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel that is set in Europe in the 1960s.
Since “Ocean’s Eleven” hit theaters in 2001, the franchise has become a global sensation, spawning three more films and raking in over $1.4 billion at the global box office. The original heist film, titled “Ocean’s 11,” came out in 1960 and starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr..
Chung’s breakout film “Minari,” which he wrote and directed, won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at Sundance in 2020 and garnered Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice wins, along with multiple Academy, Independent Spirit, BAFTA and SAG Awards nominations. The film was named one of the ten best films of 2020 by the American Film Institute and by the National Board of Review, which also awarded him Best Original Screenplay.
Chung’s last film, the action blockbuster “Twisters,” had the best-ever box office opening weekend for a natural disaster film. Chung’s other projects include “Munyurangabo,” which premiered in 2007 at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim and episodes of “The Mandalorian” and “Skeleton Crew.”
Deadline first reported the news.
