The Ocean’s trilogy of the ’00s is practically a Holy Trinity of lighthearted fluff, a breezy trio of portions perfectly sized for providing consistent but noncommittal entertainment through the entirety of a cross-country flight. This summer, get ready for another leg to be added to that completely enjoyable if unremarkable in-flight entertainment with Ocean’s 8, the spiritual successor that sees Danny Ocean’s sister expressing the same gender bias as her brother. Sandra Bullock stars as Debbie Ocean, an of course charismatic and nonviolent crook heading up a jewel heist (ladies love jewelry, you see) with Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, and Awkwafina. From this first trailer, Anne Hathaway would seem to be their target—though given the actor’s poster placement and the fact that, you know, otherwise there are only seven people in the team, it would seem she’ll be recruited at some point or another.
While the cast is a pretty solid trade-off, the director isn’t quite so even: competent but not exactly exciting Hunger Games and Seabiscuit helmer Gary Ross has taken over this chapter; original trilogy director Steven Soderbergh is now merely a producer.
We’ll see whether this thing will one day keep us distracted from [L.A. to the Pacific Northwest]/[New York to the South] when Ocean’s 8 hits theaters June 8.
