Tide Rising For ‘Ocean’s 14?’ ‘Conclave’ Helmer Edward Berger Courted To Join George Clooney, Brad Pitt: The Dish

EXCLUSIVE: This is a bit early, but The Dish hears momentum is building on the Smokehouse-produced next installment of the Warner Bros caper film franchise that started; with Ocean’s Eleven. Sources said that George Clooney and Brad Pitt are coming back, and they are courting Edward Berger to take over directing duties.,

Berger is emerging as an elite filmmaker. He followed All Quiet on the Western Front (it won four Oscars including Best International Feature) with Conclave, the Focus Features drama about the intrigue behind the election of a new pope that has drawn raves after its Telluride debut, establishing the film as a Best Picture candidate with Berger and Ralph Fiennes at the center of the awards race also. The film gets its next shot with a Toronto Film Festival premiere. Fiennes stars alongside Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, and a strong supporting cast.

Warner Bros and Smokehouse have been working diligently on Ocean’s 14, which would be the first without director Steven Soderbergh. While promoting Boys on the Boat, Clooney said they had a strong script that was in the spirit of Going in Style. While insiders have said it’s early and Berger doesn’t even have an offer (he’s juggling several of them), I am persuaded this one has some teeth. And I would expect for The Instigators co-stars Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and the rest of the ensemble will be back in the fold. Clooney and Pitt just had their Venice premiere for the Jon Watts-directed Apple film Wolfs. Stay tuned.