Heat 2: Michael Mann Confirms Long-Awaited Sequel Is His Next Film

Nearly thirty years after its debut, the world of Heat might be headed back to the big screen. Director Michael Mann has been spearheading a film version of Heat 2, the story of which he originally adapted into a novel in 2022. After years of teasing that Heat 2 is on the way, Mann confirmed in a recent interview with Radio France that the film is “definitely” his next project.

He also revealed that he is deep in pre-production on Heat 2, which is partially a prequel to the original events of the 1995 film, which starred Robert de Niro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer. 

What Is Heat 2 About? 

The Heat 2 novel, co-written by Mann and Meg Gardiner, Meg Gardiner tells the story of everything that happens before and after to the film’s principal characters. The novel jumps between two time periods, the first following Chris Shiherlis as he tries to evade LAPD and Detective Vincent Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad with the second taking us back to Chicago in 1988 when McCauley, Chris Shiherlis, and their high-line crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the US-Mexican border, and now in Chicago. At the same time, Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago police department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders. The fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative.

“Is it a modest movie? No. Is it a very expensive series? No,” Mann said of his hopes to adapt Heat 2 in an interview with Empire last year. “It’s going to be one large movie.”

“It’s sustained in culture,”  Mann said. “It’s known. I could delude myself into thinking that the whole world is familiar with it, but when you check out its prominence in home vid for over 20 years, this thing really has legs. People are still watching it, people are still talking about it. It’s a brand. It’s kind of a Heat universe, in a way. And that certainly justifies a very large ambitious movie.”

Who Will Star in Heat 2?

At the time of this writing, no cast members have been confirmed for Heat 2. Austin Butler and Adam Driver, the latter of whom just worked with Mann on last year’s Ferrari, have become popular fancasts online — and the director has addressed the latter option. 

“Perhaps,” Mann said of the possibility of reuniting with Driver in an interview late last year. “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.”

What do you think of the latest update around Heat 2? Who do you hope stars in Michael Mann’s film. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!