Margot Robbie is one of the busiest people in Hollywood these days, from acting in high-profile 2023 titles like the billion-dollar blockbuster Barbie and Wes Anderson’s unsurprisingly whimsical Asteroid City, to producing buzzy flicks like Saltburn through her LuckyChap production company. With such a packed schedule, something’s gotta give and, sadly, it looks like that planned Ocean’s Eleven prequel might just be it.
In addition to producing, Robbie was set to star in the new entry in the Ocean’s franchise, alongside her Ken-ergetic Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling, but a recent update from the actress makes it clear that it will take a while longer for that movie to materialize. As Robbie revealed in a Deadline interview:
Well, that’s still in development. Word got out about that; we didn’t release anything because it’s way too soon, to be honest. Whether it winds up being the next thing, I don’t know. I don’t think so. It’s a pretty big project to put together and there are certain logistical things that we have to time it around.
The gossip mill was buzzing with rumors about the Ocean’s prequel, which would allegedly be set in the 1960s and take place in Europe. That would likely mean a lot of location scouting, period costuming and production design, so it’s understandable that Robbie and the rest of her LuckyChap team—which includes her husband Tom Ackerley (a real-life Slytherin)—would want more time to get going on the project.
However, the film star—who just nabbed a Screen Actors Guild nomination this week for portraying Barbie‘s eponymous fashion doll—did give some insight into where her megawatt career will go next. She cited that upcoming Christmas comedy with Olivia Wilde as the next project on her producer plate, but played it coy when it came to future acting gigs:
For us a company, we have a film with Olivia Wilde [Naughty], which is moving quite quickly, so that could be the next thing we shoot. I’m not acting in it, just producing. A couple of TV things should go this year too. And for me as an actor, I love acting in things that I’m not a producer on, so I’m looking at a couple of things but there’s nothing concrete yet.
Though Barbie has been one of the biggest pop-culture phenomena of the past year, and Margot has been a regular fixture at awards shows and publicity events, it’s surprisingly the last time that Robbie has actually acted onscreen, as she hasn’t taken on another acting role in “more than a year,” she revealed to the outlet.
The producing is 24/7, but on the acting side, this is the longest I haven’t acted on a set, because we finished Barbie in October of 2022. So, it’s already been more than a year since I was on set as an actor, and other than Covid, that’s the first time that’s ever happened.
However, she’s conscious of the overexposure that can happen during a massive press tour and awards-show campaign like Barbie‘s, jokingly saying that she’s due for a break from the public eye because “everyone’s probably sick” of her:
I also think everyone’s probably sick of the sight of me for now. I should probably disappear from screens for a while. Honestly, if I did another movie too soon, people would say, “Her again? We just did a whole summer with her. We’re over it.” I don’t know what I’ll do next, but I hope it’s a little while away.
Whether or not Margot Robbie is acting again anytime soon, we will be seeing plenty more of the actress-producer as she supports Barbie throughout awards season.
Along with Robbie’s individual nod, the film tied with Oppenheimer for the most 2024 SAG nominations with five apiece, including kudos for that star-studded Barbie cast and for Gosling’s hilarious turn as Ken. And it’s likely that the comedy will have similar success at the Academy Awards, which releases its own nominations list on January 23. As for this Ocean’s prequel, we’ll keep you apprised on its progress as more updates come in.