Major Update on ‘Heat 2’

After two years of planning and preparation on the sequel film to the legendary crime drama Heat, it seems like director Michael Mann’s crew is (finally) good.

In 2022, Mann released the novel Heat 2, a prequel/sequel to the original 1995 film. It became a #1 best-seller on every chart—unsurprising, given the movie’s popularity.

Warner Bros. initially approached Mann to adapt the book into a film, but couldn’t agree with the director on a budget. Sources at The Hollywood Reporter said Warner would only agree to greenlight the film if Mann committed to not only Heat 2, but Heat 3. Given that Mann is 82 years old, that hardly seemed feasible, so Warner allowed Mann to take the project to other studios.

Now, the Amazon MGM Studios-owned United Artists has agreed to finance and distribute the project, ensuring the film will get made after all. Variety says the sequel will release in theaters, too.

Sources at Deadline say that Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star as criminal Chris Shiherlis, who was played by Val Kilmer in the original 1995 film.

No other cast members have been announced yet, but a source at The Film Stage says that “Everyone you can think of has met [Mann] on this,” including Adam Driver, Austin Butler, Bradley Cooper, Channing Tatum, and Jeremy Allen White.

Heat is often listed as one of the best crime dramas of all time, and is widely considered a stone-cold classic. In the original 1995 film, Al Pacino starred as Detective Vincent Hanna, who was tasked with tracking down the career criminals Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer) and Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro).