As Michael Mann prepares to shift gears with the upcoming racing drama Ferrari, he’s also keeping the heat alive in the world of crime, officially confirming Heat 2 is next on his directorial slate. During a recent panel discussion with Deadline, the veteran writer-director officially confirmed that Heat 2 will be his next project, saying, “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.”
The project marks a long-awaited follow-up to his iconic 1995 crime thriller that took the world by storm and set a new benchmark for action dramas. With the pairing of Al Pacino with Robert de Niro delivering some of the most tense scenes ever played out on film, Heat was a runaway hit with both viewers and critics. In fact, in his column for Roger Ebert, Gerardo Valero even labelled it the ‘greatest heist movie ever made’.
Heat is one of those rare movies that promised the moon and the stars and delivered in every imaginable way.
Gerardo Valero – Film critic
Mann co-authored this novel, marking his debut in the crime genre, in collaboration with Meg Gardiner. It acts as both a prequel and sequel to the original movie, offering deeper insights into the lives of its central characters and expanding on the storyline.
“This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, Heat 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds,” reads the book’s official synopsis.
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Mann didn’t spill many beans beyond the sequel confirmation, and that’s understandable since his primary focus right now would be on Ferrari. As a result, details like the release date and casting remain up in the air.
However, considering the backstory and follow-up on characters like Detective Vincent Hanna (originally played by Al Pacino) and Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), along with Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) and Nate (Jon Voight), it’s a good bet that younger actors will be stepping into these roles. And while nothing’s been confirmed/announced, there has been some speculation regarding Adam Driver potentially stepping into the role of the younger McCauley in Heat 2.
When asked about the possibility of working with Driver again, who stars in the upcoming Ferrari, Mann playfully responded with a “perhaps” saying, “Perhaps. We don’t talk about that yet. Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire. We have the same work ethic – which is pretty intense. We like each other and we had a great time working together artistically.”
