Cate Blanchett in talks to star in female-led Ocean’s Eleven

Cate Blanchett has that rare benefit: being a darling for the cineastes, and a starling for the popcorn crowd. She keeps the moviegoing world at large interested with her appearances in The Hobbit and (potentially) the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, while garnerning much critical praise for her turns in Carol and (less so) Knight of Cups. Now she’s reportedly in talks to join the cast of the much talked-about female-led Ocean’s Eleven reboot / spin-off, according to The Playlist.

This follows news that Sandra Bullock was the first to join the cast of the film, tentatively titled Oceans Ocho (Spanish for ‘Eight’, so expect that many star-studded names to be attached by the time shooting starts, and expect that title to change too). Jennifer Lawrence was also in talks to sign up, but seemingly large scheduling conflicts may keep her from doing so.

The film is being masterminded by The Hunger Games‘ Gary Ross – who is long-time friends with original Ocean’s Eleven helmer, Steven Soderbergh – and sources ‘close’ to the project say that Blanchett is currently in talks to star. Both her and Bullock are excellent initial names to snag; let’s hope that this leads to similarly talented actors attaching themselves.