Al Pacino Becomes One of Ocean's 13

Posted by: Jerrica

That's right. First, there was "The Godfather," "Dog Day Afternoon," and "Scarface," and now, Al Pacino has officially signed on for "Ocean's Thirteen." The first movie was a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film "Ocean's 11." With an ensemble that reads like a Hollywood casting agent's most wanted list (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts, just to name a few), a franchise was unavoidable.

The sequel, however, did not do as sensational at the box office as the original remake despite the addition of Catherine Zeta-Jones to the mix. The 2001 "Ocean's Eleven" grossed $450 million worldwide. In 2004, "Ocean's Twelve" made a little over $362 million worldwide. Although there is a sizable difference between the first runaway success and the sequel that failed to live up to the first, those are still respectable profits. And, with the announcement of Pacino's addition to the cast for the next one, there may be a chance for the third to redeem the shortcomings of the second.

As with the previous two "Ocean's" movies, this third film will be directed by Steven Soderbergh, but this time there will be a new pair of writers, Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the screenwriting team that did "Rounders" with Matt Damon. This story brings the Ocean gang back to where it began, Las Vegas, where part of the movie will be filmed. Pacino's character will be playing high-profile casino and hotel owner, Willie Banks. While the premise of the character sounds reminiscent of Andy Garcia's Benedict (who will also appear in this next film), Pacino is of course Al Pacino, and he will undoubtedly bring his usual flair and intensity to the role. The plot is being closely guarded, but hopefully, it will not feel like the first movie but with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin, who is also new to the "Ocean's" crew.

So far, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, and Bernie Mac are all confirmed as returning for "Ocean's Thirteen." Meanwhile, word of Angelina Jolie being in talks to join the growing cast list has yet to turn up any official developments. "Ocean's Thirteen" is scheduled to start production on July 21st, and the studio is already aiming for a release date of June 8, 2007.

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