Long-standing rumours look to be solidifying into an imminent announcement, with Warner Bros reportedly in pole position to secure Heat 2.
We know that Michael Mann has wanted to return to the world of Heat for some time. Given that he sat down and wrote the Heat 2 novel a while back, it’s clearly a world that the celebrated filmmaker spends a lot of time lost in. With the release of the novel, Mann was actively talking up the chances of a Heat sequel making it in front of cameras and it looks like that’s where we’re headed.
Despite releasing back in 1995, Heat is one of those films that becomes more appreciated with age, going from instant classic upon release to now sitting firmly in the canon of ‘greatest-ever crime movies’. Rumours have been swirling for some time as to who would feature in the sequel, with Adam Driver’s name being touted by those claiming to be in the know as the actor to play the younger version of Neil McCauley, the career criminal played by Robert De Niro in the original.
That certainly appears to be the case, with Driver having just finished up a collaboration with Michael Mann on the upcoming Ferrari, it looks like the pair will be working together again on Heat 2. The story of the sequel adopts a Godfather Part II (or if you prefer, a Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!) narrative approach, moving between two timelines, one which follows the original film’s events and another which precedes it.
There’s no word yet as to who will play the other leads, including the Vincent Hanna cop character played by Al Pacino and Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis (although Elvis' Austin Butler seems to be the internet’s favourite choice for the latter). It does look like the project will be headed to Warner Bros though, after what we can imagine would have been a pretty intense bidding war.
Mann has Ferrari to release first, so he’s got a pretty busy summer ahead of him but if any more Heat 2 details emerge, you can be sure we’ll let you know.
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