Michael Mann, to quote Bonnie Tyler, is “holding out for a hero”… named Leonardo DiCaprio.
According to Puck‘s Matthew Belloni, Warner Bros. will not greenlight Heat 2 based on the current proposed budget for the legacy sequel, which is $170 million. The studio does want to make the movie, however, which is why it’s open to potentially partnering with another studio or streamer on the prequel-sequel hybrid film. Apple Original Films has been given the script by Mann’s team. Given that Apple just partnered with WB on F1, it definitely seems like the strongest option for the project.
However, the real kicker is that Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly talked to Mann about potentially starring in Heat 2. If the actor, who is quite picky these days about which movies he stars in, does sign on, Belloni notes that it will likely be enough to get Heat 2 approved by Warner Bros.
What Is Heat 2?
The upcoming movie will be based on the novel Heat 2, which was written by Mann and Meg Gardiner. The novel is set before and after the events of the original film, jumping between two time periods — 1988 and 2000 — with the earlier setting following “Neil McCauley, Chris Shiherlis, and their high-line crew taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.-Mexico border, and in Chicago. At the same time, Vincent Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago police department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.” Meanwhile, the sequel period follows “Shiherlis as he tries to evade the LAPD and Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia.”
We’ll keep you posted on all things Heat 2 as it crawls towards a greenlight.
Do you want to see DiCaprio in Heat 2?
