Ocean’s 14: Conclave Director Reveals Why He Turned Down Star-Studded Sequel

Nearly a year after it was reported that Conclave director Edward Berger was in talks to helm Ocean’s 14, Berger has now confirmed that he had already turned down the star-studded project. This comes after it was recently revealed that the acclaimed filmmaker was one of Amazon MGM Studios’ frontrunners to direct the next James Bond movie before Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve landed the project.

Why Conclave director Edward Berger turned down Ocean’s 14?

During a recent interview with Deadline, Berger explained the reason why he decided to turn down the opportunity to direct Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon in Ocean’s 14. The All Quiet on the Western Front director admitted that he was initially tempted to accept the high-profile project due to the perks that come with directing a star-studded movie for a big studio.

“We were talking at that time, Brad and I, and yes, was I seduced by the thought of making something like that. I’m from a small place in Germany. I’ve never had those opportunities,” Berger shared. “And suddenly Brad Pitt and George Clooney and Julia Roberts and Matt Damon, I would be able to make a movie with them. Ballad of A Small Player was a hard movie to make, and I felt like, wouldn’t it be great to make a studio picture? The studio needs that movie, the stars want the movie, as does the audience. Everyone needs the movie. It’s a franchise. I can pay my crew. I can have fun with them. It’s a temptation.”

However, Berger realized that it would’ve been difficult to make Ocean’s 14 as his own, because he doesn’t know if he can add something new to the incredible franchise that Steven Soderbergh had built. He also revealed that he called Pitt to inform the Oscar-winning actor that he wasn’t the right guy to helm the movie.

“Deep down inside, I knew it’s not my movie, it’s Steven Soderbergh’s movie. He invented that, beautifully. He made them, and I’m just following in his footsteps. What is new for me?” He continued, “I love those movies, but in essence, I don’t know what to add to what the great Steven Soderbergh did.”

He added, “And so in the end, I had to sleep eight hours. And I think maybe when I met you, I’d slept a week. But during the shooting of Ballad, it was tempting because I was so tired. And then I wrapped, I went to bed, slept eight hours, and realized, it’s not me. I called Brad because we had talked a bunch of times. I knew he was open to doing something, and I basically said, I’m sorry, I don’t want to do Ocean’s and hope I haven’t offended you.”

In the early 2000s, Steven Soderbergh directed the remake of Ocean’s Eleven, which also featured a star-studded ensemble led by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. Due to its box-office success, it was followed by three more installments, including the spin-off Ocean’s 8, which featured Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the sister of Clooney’s Danny Ocean. The franchise currently has a combined worldwide gross of over $1 billion at the box office.

(Source: Deadline)

Source: Comingsoon.net