Summary
Director Michael Mann gives exciting update about Heat 2, the sequel to his classic film Heat. Upon release in 1995, the crime drama was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, grossing $187 million on a $60 million budget. In August 2022, Mann wrote a sequel to Heat as a novel, teaming up crime novelist Meg Gardiner to deliver a gripping and tightly plotted story.
Now, according to Deadline, the Oscar-nominated director has confirmed that Heat 2 is set to be his next movie. Speaking at the annual Contenders event, Mann, who recently directed the biographical sports thriller Ferrari, explained that, since the Heat 2 novel did well, he plans on adapting it for the big screen next. The legendary director was also quizzed about the possibility of casting Ferrari star Adam Driver in the forthcoming sequel, to which he replied: “Perhaps. We don’t talk about that yet.” Read his full comments below:
“Yes. Meg Gardiner and myself wrote the novel Heat 2, which came out right when we were shooting Ferrari. It did very well. I plan to shoot that next. […]
Perhaps. 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.”
Everything We Know About Heat 2
Rumors about Mann’s highly influential crime drama getting a sequel started as far back as 2016. In the same year, Mann made a deal to launch Michael Mann Books with the aim of producing a series of novels with a line-up of writers. His debut novel would be the sequel to Heat, which arrived six years after Mann’s initial tease. The book mainly follows Chris Shiherlis, the last standing man from McCauley’s group of high-end thieves, who is looking for a way to get out of L.A after the desolation of his crew, while also telling a prequel story about both original lead characters.
Mann previously revealed that he decided to make the sequel as a novel because casting the actors who starred in the first movie was going to pose a challenge. The original Heat cast were no longer age-appropriate to reprise their roles, so he decided to write a novel which allowed him to revisit the story without the headache of casting decisions. Now, with the novel confirmed to be getting adapted for the big screen, it’ll be interesting to see what casting decisions Mann makes.
As regards a release date for Heat 2, it’s difficult to predict when the movie could make it to audiences. There has not been any concrete information regarding a production timeline as yet. But, taking into account the magnitude of the project and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, viewers might not see the sequel to Mann’s classic crime drama on until 2025 at the earliest.
Source: Deadline
