Although it rebooted the franchise, Ocean's 8 is set in the same universe as Steven Soderbergh's 2000s Ocean's movies, and missed a golden opportunity for a George Clooney cameo. The 2018 requel of the beloved heist series essentially has all the same beats and overarching narrative as 2001's Ocean's Eleven, but stars an all-female crew of con artists. Ocean's 8 does feature a couple of cameos from the previous Ocean's crew, such as Qin Shaobo and Elliott Gould, who play the Amazing Yen and Reuben Tishkoff, respectively. Matt Damon and Carl Reiner also reprise their roles for the reboot, but their scenes were left on the cutting room floor (via THR).
A couple of fun cameos in Ocean's 8 was not enough to satisfy the Ocean's fan base, as the guest appearances were extremely brief and came from secondary and tertiary characters in the 2000s Ocean's movies. A cameo from Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, or Julia Roberts would have been way more gratifying. Above any other character, no cameo would have been more moving than Ocean's Eleven star Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney. Even though Ocean's 8 reveals that Danny ed away, there was still a perfect opportunity for the character to appear, and it would have made total sense.
Danny Should Have Appeared In The Cemetery Next To His Grave In Ocean’s 8
Sandra Bullock's Ocean's 8's protagonist is Deborah Ocean, Danny's sister, and she reveals early on in the movie that Danny died, stating in her parole hearing, "My brother, may he rest in peace." At the end of the movie, following a successful diamond heist, Debbie visits Danny's grave, sitting on a bench with a martini. Danny could have sat on the bench next to her during this shot. It would have made for the perfect cameo and totally fitting for the character, as it would not have been remotely surprising if Danny had faked his death, and Ocean's 8 even alluded to this.
Danny could have shared a martini with Debbie in the very last scene, and drinking a cocktail in front of his very own grave would perfectly encapsulate the quintessential style of the heist series. It would only have been a day of work for Clooney, and given that his grave is in a mausoleum, it wouldn't even have required a location shoot, as Clooney could have shot his scene in front of a green screen. Ocean's 8 made almost $300 million worldwide, and while it was a success for the studio, a simple cameo from Clooney could have added millions of dollars to its overall gross profit.
Is Danny Ocean Really Dead?
Danny has an off-the-charts reputation as a con artist, so it would not be out of the ordinary if he faked his death. Danny could have been in trouble with the law again, or he and Terry could have once again locked horns. Although his true fate still remains ambiguous, given that Danny does not show up in Ocean's 8, it seems safe to assume that he really is dead. Unfortunately, it looks unlikely that anyone will know for sure, as Ocean’s 14 will probably never happen, and the next Ocean's movie is another reboot. Either way, revealing that Danny Ocean died through expository dialogue is underwhelming, especially for such an exciting character.
