Michael Mann suggests that plans for a sequel to his 1995 crime classic have yet to come together, despite the ongoing rumours.
Michael Mann is out and about promoting his upcoming biopic, Ferrari as it begins its run of festival screenings. The film stars Adam Driver and is set to arrive in December. Obviously, the release of any film directed by Mann is worth celebrating but given the ceaseless rumours that Mann’s next project will be Heat 2, the filmmaker is already having to field questions about it.
Back in April, we covered a story that claimed the project was almost a done deal, with Warner Bros in pole position to back the production and Adam Driver set to star, continuing the creative partnership with Mann following their recent collaboration on Ferrari. That story emerged via Deadline, a respected outlet so it’s doubtful it was a rootless rumour simply cooked up for clicks.
Whether the film is a sure thing or not, Mann certainly isn’t confirming anything. In a profile piece for Variety, he states that in fact, he feels no compulsion to make the film, arguing:
“The thing is, I don’t think about mortality. I’m busy. What good would it do me? If I absolutely had to make Heat 2, I wouldn’t have got lost in this beautiful story of Ferrari. And I took two years to write a novel. Fortunately, it became a New York Times No. 1 bestseller. The things I’m into are things that fascinate me and keep me moving forward. Don’t misunderstand. I want to make it. But if I don’t, I won’t be incomplete.”
Do we believe this? In interviews, Mann is often a straight-talker so perhaps he’s speaking from the heart here. After all, he has already written and published a novel that continues the story of the 1995 crime classic that starred Al Pacino and Robert De Niro and in doing so, may well have already satiated his creative curiosity as to how the story continues.
Of course, considering how many interviews Mann will be doing over the next few months, it might just be that he doesn’t fancy finding a million ways to deflect questions about Heat 2 and this is him setting out his stall early. Even the writer of the Variety piece expresses a degree of skepticism about Mann’s answer, which you can check out here. It’s a good read by the way. We’ll bring you more updates on Heat 2, as we hear them (should anybody manage to crack Mann’s impassive facade, that is).
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