Bradley Cooper could soon take on a major creative role in the upcoming Ocean’s Eleven prequel, as the project continues to move forward at Warner Bros.

Sources confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday, March 13, that Cooper, 51, is currently in talks to write and direct the film, which he is also expected to star in alongside Margot Robbie.

The development comes after filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, known for Minari and Twisters, stepped away from the project. If Cooper finalises the deal, the prequel is expected to remain on track for a planned 2026 production schedule, according to sources familiar with the project.

The idea of expanding the Ocean’s universe with a prequel has been in the works for several years. 

Discussions around the film first surfaced in 2022, when Robbie’s publicist revealed that the actress and director Jay Roach were developing “an original Ocean’s film set in the ’60s.”

Further momentum followed in 2023, when producer Josey McNamara, a co-founder of Robbie’s production banner LuckyChap Entertainment, suggested that Ryan Gosling could join the cast after the global success of Barbie, which starred Robbie and Gosling.

Reports later emerged in October 2025 indicating that Cooper was being considered to star opposite Robbie in the film.

Should the negotiations move forward, Cooper would take on multiple roles behind and in front of the camera for the highly anticipated prequel.