Michael Mann plans to explore AI technology to de-age his characters in his upcoming Heat 2. More here. A week or two ago, it was George Miller – a filmmaker famed for his stunning physical, practical production work – who was throwing his weight behind AI. Now, Michael Mann is going the same way, as ... Heat 2 | Michael Mann set to jump aboard the AI bandwagon for new film
Michael Mann plans to explore AI technology to de-age his characters in his upcoming Heat 2. More here.
A week or two ago, it was George Miller – a filmmaker famed for his stunning physical, practical production work – who was throwing his weight behind AI. Now, Michael Mann is going the same way, as he explores his plans for his upcoming Heat 2.
He’s been chatting about the movie over the weekend, confirming that Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks for it. The film’s budget has led to Warner Bros stepping away and Amazon MGM Studios getting its sizeable chequebook out. And part of its money looks like it’ll go towards utilising AI technology for some of its de-ageing work.
Mann confirmed that – with shades of The Irishman here – he plans to de-age characters from the first film, presumably the ones played by Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and the late Val Kilmer. He explained that he’s considering using AI for that work, noting that “I don’t experiment with technology gratuitously.” He explained that if “I have a dramatic need for it then I go deep into what I need … For example, ageing and de-ageing will be very important in the film.”
AI remains the hot potato in Hollywood, attracting no shortage of legal attention at the moment. The concern remains that AI tends to pillage the work of others, and gives them no reward or recompense for it. I’ve written about how that’s affecting websites such as this one right here.
Heat 2 will kick off one day after the original film, it’s been confirmed, before going back in time. The plan is to finally get it filming in 2026, and given how quickly Michael Mann goes about post-production, the release date might be a little bit snappier than expected. We’ll wait and see on that, though.
More as we hear it.
