Director Michael Mann has said that he hopes to start shooting the sequel to 1990s crime thriller Heat soon, as the film remains in active development.
In 2022, Mann, along with Meg Gardiner, wrote and released the book Heat 2 which serves as both a prequel and a sequel to his acclaimed 1995 film starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.
Mann always planned to adapt the novel into a film, with the director now confirming that he is looking at “possibly shooting it in 2026”.
“We’re in the middle of doing all the things – budgeting, scheduling, casting process,” he said during a masterclass on Heat at the Busan International Film Festival.
Elsewhere, Mann objected to Heat being called “an Al Pacino film” by the moderator. The 82-year-old said: “I don’t think it’s Al Pacino’s film. That film’s De Niro’s film, Val Kilmer’s film, Jon Voight’s film, Mykelti Williamson.”
He added that it was “an ensemble of brilliant actors” and one of “the best experiences” he’d ever had as a director.
Heat, which follows a group of high-end thieves in Los Angeles, is regarded as one of the best films of the 1990s and one of the best crime thrillers ever, notable for both its acting and intense action sequences.
Heat 2 features characters from the original film such as detective Vincent Hanna and criminal Neil McCauley.
Due to the story taking place both before and after the events of the original film, speculation has naturally developed about who will play the roles.
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Pacino, who plays Hanna in the film, has namechecked Timothée Chalamet as a possible star to play his character, but back in 2019, he actually suggested he’d be up for using Irishman-style de-aging technology to reprise the role himself.
During a 2022 interview with The Independent, when asked if he’d be up for using the same tech for Heat 2, Pacino, not realising the novel was a prequel, said: “You’d have to ask Michael Mann, but we wouldn’t have Bob.”
De Niro, whose character is killed off at the end of the film, interjected, telling Pacino the novel was going to be set before the events of the 1995 film. To this, Pacino replied: “You mean go younger? That I would do for sure.”
Laughing at the prospect, De Niro added: “Well, you never know.”
Elsewhere, it was reported in 2024 that Austin Butler, star of Elvis and Dune: Part 2, was linked to the part of Chris Shiherlis, the role originally made famous by Val Kilmer, who died earlier this year. In the book, Shiherlis features in scenes that directly follow on from events seen in the original.
Other stars that have been connected to Heat 2 include Adam Driver and Leonardo DiCaprio.
