The One Problem With the All-Female Ocean's Eleven Reboot

And yes, this definitely has something to do with Ghostbusters.

By Seija Rankin Aug 10, 2016 7:32 PMTags
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We have a bone to pick with the movie industry. 

This morning, it was reported by Deadline that the previously-rumored all-female Ocean's Eleven reboot is a go.  E! News can confirm that Warner Brothers is moving along and has set an October start date for filming. And on top of that, they've firmed up the cast as well, with Sandra BullockCate BlanchettAnne HathawayRihannaHelena Bonham CarterMindy Kaling and hip hop artist Awkwafina set to star. 

Ocean's Eight, as the reboot is to be called, has yet to announce any plot details, but seeing as it's a spinoff on the the original Ocean's series, we can guess that some sort of casino heist is in the works. 

Of course, this all comes on the heels of this summer's slightly embattled but still very enjoyable all-female Ghostbusters reboot, proving that Hollywood is on the precipice of a new trend. We're going to start with the positives here: We loved Ghostbusters. The cast (Kristen WiigMelissa McCarthyLeslie Jones and Kate McKinnon) was a dream, and they definitively proved that having women take over didn't deter from the movie's quality at all. But nevertheless, we're still left wondering whether Ocean's Eight is a good idea. 

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Our trepidation has nothing to do with the cast or the filmmakers. This group of women, it goes without saying, is pretty awesome. They bring a mix of comedic wit and star power that we haven't seen in a movie in awhile. And Gary Ross, who is set to direct the spinoff, is also a plus—he's responsible for flicks like Seabiscuit and Hunger Games, among others. Our beef lies entirely with the fact that this is a reboot: Isn't it time for women to get their own original scripts?

Just imagine what that would be like! Instead of just reusing old all-male material for today's female actors, think what the world could be like if writers and directors were making brand new movies for women. It would be a world full of Bridesmaids. Or a world full of The Heat. That is a world we'd like to live in.

Or, better yet, if movies were simply made to be movies, regardless of whether a male or female actor ends up getting cast. Special magic happens when studios go in gender-blind and simply choose the best person for the job. Take Angelina Jolie in Saltthe gig was originally meant for Tom Cruise, but he passed and "Edwin Salt" became "Evelyn Salt." Or Sigourney Weaver in Alien, who went on to become one of the best movie heroes. Or, in the comedy realm, legend has it that Jane Lynch's character was originally meant to be male. It's a pretty inarguable fact that all of those parts turned out stellar. 

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Getting back to the reboot at hand, we think it goes without saying that we'll still line up at the movie theater to see this one. It's a testament to the strength of the Ocean's franchise that it's still going strong 15 years later. And it is still a step forward for women in film—it may not be the step that we'd like to see, but it's better than moving backwards.

We're always for anything that helps Hollywood achieve stronger gender parity. During a time when there are still no more female directors than there were in the late '90s, it's nice to see our female brethren getting cast in what would have, in the old days, been considered a male film.

But again, if we're going to actually bring about change, we need to do something drastic. 

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