The premise for Ocean’s 8 isn’t exactly believable — its central premise is that Rihanna is not invited to the Met Gala. This is a fun idea to run with though. Rihanna stars as a very cool hacker named 8-Ball, who joins a heist collective to infiltrate the Met Gala and steal Anne Hathaway’s $150M necklace. Other members of her all-female felon squad include Sandra Bullock, Mindy Kaling, Cate Blanchett, and Queens rapper Awkwafina. (Most of whom have attended the Met Gala IRL.)
The action takes place after Bullock’s character scores a parole agreement in exchange for pursuing the simple life. Of course she proceeds to do the exact opposite, revealing to Blanchett over a casual lunch her plans to pull of the heist of the century. Ocean’s 8 is pegged as both a spin-off and a sequel to the testosterone-driven Ocean’s trilogy.
Gender-flipped versions of big franchises have become a veritable trend in the wake Ghostbusters. Taraji P. Henson’s remake of Mel Gibson’s What Women Want sounds particularly promising. Meanwhile, an all-female Lord of the Flies left Twitter wondering how that proposal ever got green-lit. Ocean’s 8 is directed by The Hunger Games’s Gary Ross, who co-wrote the script with upcoming screenwriter Olivia Milch. It hits theaters in June 2018, one month after the actual Met Gala, which Rihanna will co-chair with Amal Clooney. (The renowned human rights lawyer’s husband, George, has landed a gig as co-producer on Ocean’s 8.)