Michael Mann‘s Heat 2 is, for all intents and purposes, under development at Warner Bros. After confirming with multiple sources, World of Reel recently announced that Leonardo DiCaprio will helm the project, the actor’s first time signing up for a sequel movie.
For 30 years since its release, Heat has been a definitive classic of the crime thriller genre. The cat-and-mouse chase between a career thief and an LAPD detective, played by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, respectively, has become one of the most studied and iconic battles of wit versus grit in film history.
It is finally time for Mann to follow up on his masterpiece with a sequel that is equally evocative, thrilling, epic, and timeless as the original story.
Plot and Cast Details on Leonardo DiCaprio’s Heat 2
Details about Heat 2 are currently being kept strictly under wraps by Michael Mann and WB. However, World of Reel has gathered some interesting notes on the developing story. Reportedly, Heat 2 is being set up as a prequel-sequel story that will be adapted from Mann’s debut novel of the same name.
Co-authored alongside Meg Gardiner, the novel covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna and criminals Neil McCauley and Chris Shiherlis, while also following Hanna’s hunt for a new threat in the aftermath of the original film’s climactic shootout.
If faithfully adapted, the sequel could be an expansive and ambitious film that spans from the streets of LA to Taiwanese crime syndicates in South America to Mexican drug cartels involved in money laundering to eventually Southeast Asia.
The sequel aspect of the plot leaves room for Al Pacino’s return as the iconic, loud, and brilliant Hanna, but he will have to be digitally de-aged significantly for the role. Since the novel also charts the early days of McCauley and Shiherlis, De Niro and Val Kilmer‘s roles will be taken over by younger actors.
DiCaprio’s casting has already been reported by the outlet, although official confirmation is still awaited from Warner Bros., the director, or the actor. Names of other heavyhitters like Austin Butler and Adam Driver are floating around, although they are yet to be confirmed. But WB film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca did claim that the cast roster for Heat 2 is an “all-timer.”
Why It Took Michael Mann 30 Years for a Sequel to Heat
The original film, Heat, was written as a standalone story with a complete arc from the nail-biter heist in the beginning to the climactic shootout in the end. It wasn’t until 2022 that Michael Mann found the right story and co-author to deliver a worthy follow-up to his 1995 epic.
In an interview with Deadline in 2022 ahead of the novel’s release, Mann revealed:
It’s been my intention for a long time to do the further stories of Heat. There was always a rich history or back-story about the events in these people’s lives before 1995 in Heat and projection of where their lives would take them after.
Accordingly, Heat 2 (the novel) starts one day after the events of the ’95 film, with a wounded Chris Shiherlis desperate to escape LA. The story shifts to six years preceding the heist and the years immediately following it, and features new characters and new worlds of high-end crime and criminal organizations.
Though delayed by 30 years, anticipation is at an all-time high for the sequel. Heat 2 has been a long-gestating passion project for Mann, and the director has effectively put his other working titles on hold until this movie gets made.
Sequels are on the rise right now in Hollywood, with films like Blade Runner 2049, Top Gun: Maverick, Gladiator II, Twisters, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice coming out decades after the original.
All 5 sequels took nearly 30 years or more to get made, but in the right hands, these films were not only critical and commercial successes but also furthered the legacy of the original. With a flawless script, compelling plot, memorable characters, and a visionary director, Heat 2 will be able to achieve the same.
Below is a list of all the key players in the original 1995 classic, Heat:
Do you consider Heat as one of the best crime thrillers ever made? Share your thoughts on the film in the comments below.
Heat is currently available to stream on Prime Video. It is scheduled to leave the platform in 14 days.
A release date for Heat 2 has not been announced yet.
