It looks like Heat 2 will finally make it out of development hell.
After Warner Bros. refused to meet Michael Mann‘s budget demands, the studio let the acclaimed filmmaker shop his sequel project around Hollywood, with Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists now in talks to acquire the feature, per The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, Jerry Bruckheimer has come on board as a producer, adding yet another major movie franchise to his already impressive list of credits.
While no talent deals have been made yet, Deadline is reporting that Leonardo DiCaprio is circling the role of Chris Shiherlis, who was memorably played by Val Kilmer in the 1995 original. Other actors who have expressed interest in the sequel and/or have had conversations with Mann include Adam Driver, Austin Butler, and Bradley Cooper.
Heat 2 will adapt Mann’s 2022 novel of the same name, which he co-wrote with Meg Gardiner. The book jumps between two time periods, the first following Shiherlis as he tries to evade the LAPD and Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and which moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia. The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988, when McCauley, Shiherlis and their high-line crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.-Mexico border and in the Windy City. 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.
We’ll keep you posted as casting gets underway on Heat 2.
Do you see DiCaprio in the Siherlis role? Who would you like to see as the rest of the characters?
