Despite garnering a heap of controversies in the beginning, 2018’s Ocean’s 8 didn’t tarnish the legacy of its predecessor and went on to deliver an entertaining experience for the audience. And one of the reasons behind its success was the casting of Rihanna at its forefront.
But it appears that the reason behind the singer’s decision to star in the 2018’s heist movie was her love for the singer Bob Marley. The Love the Way You Lie singer just couldn’t resist the opportunity to honor her Reggae Icon in the Ocean’s Eleven spin-off.
Rihanna’s love for Bob Marley was the reason she agreed to star in Ocean’s 8
In his quest in assembling the ultimate cast for the spin-off of Ocean’s franchise, Gary Ross revealed that Bob Marley was one of the reasons why Rihanna agreed to star in the movie. Rihanna has been pretty outspoken about her love for Bob Marley over the years and when the director asked her about starring in Ocean’s 8, where she would possess attire similar to Bob Marley, she was immediately on board. The director stated,
“The first conversation she and I had was about leaning into her Caribbean roots. We both love Bob Marley, and I mentioned dreadlocks and she jumped up and down. This is just different than Rihanna gets to be in most of her public appearances, and she loved all that”
As a result, the movie as a whole was also deemed a box-office success despite the controversies surrounding it. And their decision to present Rihanna in a Bob Marley-inspired look with dreadlocks paid off, as her character Nine Ball became an instant fan-favorite after the movie’s release.
Despite its controversies, Ocean’s 8 became a huge success
Before its release, the movie did surround itself with controversies because it decided to comprise a full-female star cast. And despite being criticized at the beginning, the movie eventually became a huge success following its release.
Even though the movie wasn’t perfect and had its fair share of issues, it was far from being a bad product. It was also successful in capturing the essence of its predecessors, starring George Clooney at its forefront. The movie also went on to garner around $300 million against its $70 million budget and just fell short by $11 million from the original movie’s total box office collection.
Even though the writing of the movie isn’t impeccable and as great as its predecessors, the amazing cast, including Rihanna was able to elevate the quality of the movie. As a result, it became one of the most entertaining movies of 2018’s summer and was able to live up to the standards set by its predecessors.
Ocean’s 8 is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: Indiewire
