Michael Mann’s Heat 2 is Finally, Actually Getting Made

They just don’t make films like Heat anymore. The thriller, directed by Michael Mann, belongs to a bygone era. It’s kinda like the Godfather of cops-and-robbers flicks: often imitated, never truly replicated. But sometimes, as with The Godfather, a one-off masterpiece gets the chance to tell another story. Mann has been quietly working on a follow-up to his mid-’90s heist drama for some time now. After years of rumors, a successful novelization, and some promising updates from the director himself, it seems like Heat 2 is finally gaining real momentum.

Mann made a splashy return to the big screen in 2023, capping of an eight-year hiatus with the sports biopic Ferrari. Next on the docket for him is Heat 2, though he hasn’t offered many concrete updates. In an interview with The LA Times, Mann revealed that he’s now “deep” into writing a screenplay adaptation for Heat 2. He’s also expressed “a desire to begin shooting at the end of this year or beginning of 2025,” so the film could feasibly be completed some time next year.

The scope of Heat 2 is much larger than its predecessor. Like The Godfather Part II, it’s both a prequel and sequel, straddling two parallel timelines and strengthening the ties that bind its characters together. Heat 2 is set partially in the year 1988; it follows younger versions of the characters played by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. While Vincent Hanna (Pacino) works his way up the ranks of the Chicago PD, career criminal Neil McCauley (De Niro) and his right-hand man, Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), pull off a major heist in the Windy City. Its second timeline picks up a few year years after the events of Heat. After Hanna and McCauley’s clash in Los Angeles, Shiherlis is still on the run — and Hanna naturally is still on the chase.

Heat 2 was generally well-received when it debuted: it succeeded in expanding on a story that already felt complete, as well as separating its characters from the stars that brought them to life. Still, De Niro and Pacino’s respective shadows looms large over the sequel, particularly when it comes to recasting the characters.

“It won’t be [Robert De Niro] and Al [Pacino] playing McCauley and Hanna,” Mann told The Playlist in 2023. The director has expressed some interest in using “a combination [of CG and makeup]” to recreate the actors’ likenesses; as for who will be settling into the makeup chair, Mann still isn’t quite sure. “I don’t really know who to cast until I’ve actually written the screenplay,” he added.

There are, of course, rumors about who will star in the sequel. Pacino reportedly wants Dune star Timothée Chalamet to take on Hanna’s role, while Adam Driver — who recently worked with Mann on Ferrari — is a favorite to play McCauley. Time will tell if these actors turn out to be the frontrunners, but with Mann potentially finishing his screenplay, we could find out sooner than later.