Name an iconic crime film from the 90s and Heat will likely be near the top of the list. Directed by Michael Mann and featuring a stellar cast including Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer, it still holds up well today. Mann released a sequel, Heat 2, in book form last year, and has now confirmed plans for a movie.
The director took to the stage at Deadline’s Contenders London Event to confirm the project. “Yes. Meg Gardiner and myself wrote the novel Heat 2, which came out right when we were shooting Ferrari. It did very well. I plan to shoot that next,” said Mann.
Finally a Heat 2 movie
Currently, Mann is promoting his latest film, Ferrari, about the Italian car tycoon. Once that press tour has been completed he’ll begin work on Heat 2. If you’ve read the book you’ll know that the narrative serves as both prequel and sequel to the original movie. Set in 1988 Chicago, it follows characters Neil McCauley (De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer), and Vincent Hanna (Pacino) in the years leading up to the original.
Considering it has been almost 30 years since Heat, using the original cast isn’t possible, especially as they’d have to be younger. No one has been confirmed just yet, but Deadline claims Adam Driver is in talks to play a young McCauley. Mann and Driver worked together on Ferrari and when asked the director said “Perhaps. We don’t talk about that yet. Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire [on Ferrari]. We have the same work ethic – which is pretty intense. We like each other, and we had a great time working together artistically.”
The production is likely to garner considerable interest from actors, so expect another all-star cast at any rate.
Mann’s Ferrari movie is due to hit theatres on 25th December 2023 (29th in the UK). With the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes that would suggest Heat 2 won’t start production until the beginning of 2024 at the earliest.
Are you a Heat fan? Let us know what you think of the Heat 2 movie news in the comments below.
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