In an exclusive chat with Variety, George Clooney, famed for his role in the “Ocean’s” series, revealed that the next installment, “Ocean’s 14,” is set to start shooting next year. During the interview, he humorously referenced the recent heist at the Louvre.
LOS ANGELES — George Clooney confirmed that the script for “Ocean’s 14” is “in excellent condition” and the team is currently working on coordinating schedules to commence filming.
The film, which continues the “Ocean’s” saga—originally a reboot of a classic 1960s heist movie—has been in development for some time. Clooney shared with Variety on Thursday that production is slated to begin next year.
“The script is finished, everything’s looking great. Now it’s just a matter of aligning schedules, and we’ll have it sorted by next year,” Clooney explained during the interview.
Adding a touch of humor to the conversation, Clooney commented on the recent daring theft at the Louvre, the world-renowned museum.
“It was quite something. I mean, it’s awful, but as a fictional professional thief, I felt a bit of pride for those guys,” he jested. “It was truly amusing—it felt like an ‘Ocean’s’ scene. Pulling it off in broad daylight, it’s unbelievable.”
In the real-life heist, which took place Oct. 19, thieves rode a basket lift up the Louvre’s facade, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.
They made off with jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) among objects of invaluable historic value in a heist that lasted less than eight minutes, officials said.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the theft Sunday after a week and a massive manhunt in search for the thieves, justice and police officials said.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests and did not say whether any jewels had been recovered.
A police official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing case, told The Associated Press that two men in their 30s, both known to police, were taken into custody. He said one suspect was arrested as he attempted to board a plane bound for Algeria. The official added that one of the suspects was identified through DNA traces. Beccuau said earlier this week that forensics experts were analyzing 150 samples at the scene.
Clooney joked he would really have to pull off a similar heist after so many comparisons between it and his movies.
“I think you gotta put me in like CGI me into that basket coming out of the Louvre. I think you should do that. Yeah, we get blamed for everything now,” he said Thursday night while promoting his upcoming film “Jay Kelly” in Los Angeles.
While no concrete details are yet available, Clooney teased to E! News the next installment of the series will include original franchise stars Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle. Variety previously reported “The Fall Guy,” “Bullet Train” and “Deadpool 2” director David Leitch may direct.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
