Still, Clooney and Soderbergh wanted to assemble a similar all-star cast, and after the double-whammy year Soderbergh had in 2000 (releasing both ' Erin Brockovich' and ' Traffic' and winning a Best Director Oscar for the latter), he had the clout to get most of the names he wanted. Nobody touches Frank and Sammy and Dean, and we won't ever be that cool. 'They just think they have because those guys were the coolest. 'The truth is, most people never saw the original 'Ocean's 11,'' he said. Did anyone in 2001 even remember the original 'Ocean's 11,' a crime comedy notable more for its marquee casting than for what happened on screen? Remake producer Clooney didn't think so.
Here are the secrets of how this unlikely caper came together.ġ. It spawned the biggest hit of director Steven Soderbergh's career, a three-film franchise, and a new Rat Pack of sorts that crowned George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon as Hollywood's new aristocracy. But the 2001 ' Ocean's 11,' released 15 years ago this week (on December 7, 2001), proved way more lucrative than the actual heist would have. Indeed, the original Rat Pack romp was so slight that news regarding its remake was met with a collective shrug. Back in 1960, when Peter Lawford pitched him the Vegas heist script for the original ' Ocean's 11,' Frank Sinatra reportedly joked, 'Forget the movie, let's pull the job.'
