Pop star Rihanna along with actresses Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks to join Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett in a female-driven spin-off of the Ocean’s Eleven crime caper franchise, Hollywood trade publications reported on Wednesday.

News of the film comes a month after the release of the all-female remake of the beloved 1980s action comedy Ghostbusters, this time starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, that prompted a hate-filled backlash on social media.

Production on the Warner Bros film, to be called Ocean’s Eight, is expected to start in October, with director Gary Ross, Hollywood websites Deadline and Variety reported.

Ross told website SlashFilm in June that the film would continue the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, as well as having a similar light-hearted tone.

The decision to go with a new, female cast has provoked controversy online

Ocean’s Eleven, in which Clooney and accomplices rob three Las Vegas casinos, made some $450 million at the worldwide box office on its 2001 release. Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen followed, bringing in another $670 million for Warner Bros.

Actress Mindy Kaling, star of US TV comedy series The Mindy Project, is also expected to join the Ocean’s Eight cast, along with Asian American rapper Awkwafina. Ross told SlashFilm in a June interview that the idea for Ocean’s Eight had been in the works for years and that director Steven Soderbergh would be a producer on the upcoming film.

Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Kristen Wiig in the new all-female Ghostbusters (2016).Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Kristen Wiig in the new all-female Ghostbusters (2016).

Ghostbusters, a reboot of the beloved 1984 film with Bill Murray, stars some of America’s funniest women in the entertainment industry. But ever since plans were announced a year ago for the film, the decision to go with a new, female cast has provoked controversy online and led to the trailer earning the distinction of being the most disliked in You Tube history.

Ghostbusters went on to earn generally warm reviews and has taken more than $180 million at the worldwide box office since its July 15 release.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.