With 40 years in the business, producer Jerry Weintraub has given us such quality fare as "Nashville", "Cruising", "Diner", and, er, "The Avengers". He's made up for that last one, though, with "Ocean's Eleven"...
How advanced are plans for an "Ocean's Eleven" sequel?
We're far advanced in our heads, but it's not on paper. Until it's on paper, it doesn't mean a thing.
Will it be possible to get the same cast together?
It will be the same cast, but with a few surprises.
How did you convince these Las Vegas hotels to let you shoot a film around them?
All my friends own the hotels! The fact is, it was very good for them as well as for myself. All I had to do was convince them that when this movie came out, it would be like a big commercial for Las Vegas.
Will you be paying yourself a lot more money for the sequel?
I don't need money any more. My money goes now to my cancer laboratory at UCLA. I have 54 doctors that work for me doing stem cell research. I also give money to different universities and philanthropic organisations. Not that I'm such a wonderful guy, I just don't want to leave so much to my kids! They have enough.
Why did you switch from a career handling music talent to producing films?
I found myself in the music world first, then I produced Broadway shows, then I owned Broadway theatres and record companies, and so on. Then I found my way into the film business. As soon as I started in it, I was passionate about it. It was the most fun I'd ever had.
It was meeting Robert Altman that got you into the film business, right?
Yeah, that's how I started. We'd already smoked a joint, and we were feeling pretty good, and he suggested I produce a movie. I said: "I'd love to, but I don't know anything about it." At that point I was working with Sinatra, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Moody Blues, and Led Zeppelin. Altman said, "You're great with talent. Let me send you a script, you'll make a great producer." So he sent me "Nashville", and I read it and didn't understand a word of it. He explained what he wanted to do, I asked how much it was going to cost, and he said $1.8m. I said, "OK, I'll get it to you, let's do it."
