Director Michael Mann plans to adapt his own novel, a sequel to his 1995 crime classic.
ADVERTISEMENTCelebrated director Michael Mann has revealed that his planned sequel to 1995’s acclaimed crime thriller Heat, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, will be his next movie.
The original movie was a hit in cinemas when it was released in 1995 and has since become a revered crime classic with a global following. The intense epic was also something of a momentous occasion, as it was the first time acting titans Al Pacino and Robert De Niro shared a screen. Christopher Nolan has consistently cited the film as one of his main influences, especially on The Dark Knight.
The director recently discussed the follow-up while speaking onstage at Deadline’s Contenders London event, where he confirmed it will be his next movie after Ferrari, starring Adam Driver.
Asked whether the sequel, based on the follow-up novel adaptation, would be his next screen project, the filmmaker said: “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.”
Deadline revealed earlier this year that Mann’s Ferrari lead Adam Driver was in talks to play the young Neil McCauley (the character played by Robert De Niro in the first movie) in Heat 2, which also had Warner Bros in talks to join.
When asked whether he could reteam with Driver on the movie, Mann stated: “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.”
"Heat 2", the 500-page novel, is both a prequel and a sequel to the original Heat. It offers readers insight into the early days of Robert De Niro's criminal Neil McCauley and his accomplice Val Kilmer's Chris Shiherlis in 1988 Chicago, while simultaneously continuing the story Al Pacino's character, Vincent Hanna, the relentless LAPD lieutenant who tracked down McCauley and his crew in the original film.
After its publication in August, "Heat 2" became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.
There is no production date scheduled for Heat 2. The SAG-AFTRA strike has stalled an official announcement. However, rumours are that Mann plans to shoot the sequel after finishing the press campaign for his latest movie Ferrari.
Ferrari is the director’s two-decade-long passion project, which launched at the Venice Film Festival thsi year. It is a biopic of racing mogul Enzo Ferrari, starring Driver in the lead role. It centres on Ferrari’s obsession to win the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, and his complicated home life between two women (Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley). Read our review.
It will get a Christmas Day theatrical release via Neon in the US, before a gradual rollout in European cinemas in January and Febraury 2024.
