Wagner Moura is set to play the villain in the Ocean's 11 prequel.

The Secret Agent star is said to be in negotiations to join Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper in the new flick in the heist franchise.

The untitled movie will be written and directed by Cooper and is slated for release in June 2027.

During a virtual appearance at a CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas earlier this year, Robbie explained that the film will centre on Danny Ocean's (played by George Clooney in Steven Soderbergh's trilogy) parents and will be set at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.

Robbie and Cooper are set to feature in the lead roles.

The 35-year-old star - who will also be producing the film through her LuckyChap Entertainment banner - said: "Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows: his parents. You'll see them in all their prime in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix."

Cooper's announcement as director came after the previously attached Lee Isaac Chung left the movie due to "creative differences" in March.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson said: "This is an amicable split due to creative differences."

In a joint statement, Warner Bros. and LuckyChap added: "Lee Isaac is a singular filmmaking talent whose vision and partnership have been invaluable to Warner Bros. and LuckyChap throughout this journey.

"Our experience with him has only deepened our enthusiasm to collaborate on future projects together."

Moura is believed to be portraying the antagonist in the film, following in the footsteps of Andy Garcia, Vince Cassell and Al Pacino - who all played villains in the previous Ocean's movies.

Clooney previously explained that he was looking forward to watching the Ocean's prequel "as a fan" but stressed that he has no creative involvement in the flick.

He told Entertainment Tonight: "They're gonna play my parents.

"They're all very gifted and talented, and they'll all figure it out. I get to go and watch as a fan."

Moura, 49, received global acclaim for his portrayal of Pablo Escobar in the Netflix drama Narcos but explained that he turned down similar roles afterwards because he was concerned about being typecast.

The Brazilian actor told W Magazine: "Given my background, from a place where there was prejudice against actors and the way they spoke, I was like, I'm not going to let this happen to me.

"The number of things I passed on after Narcos - drug dealers, tough guys, and Latino dudes. I said, 'No, I'm not going to do that.'

"I want to go for the same kind of characters that all the white American dudes are going for. I want to play a character called Michael who speaks the way I speak, because I represent a big portion of this country - people who came here, speak with accents, and are important for what we know as the United States."