Forget Bond; the real question on everybody’s lips should be which A-list actors Michael Mann will get to play younger versions Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer in Heat 2. After a few years of vague reports, it seems we may actually get a chance to answer that question. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Heat 2 is close to finding a new home after its previous distributor, Warner Bros., deemed it too pricey earlier this summer. The studio reportedly allowed Mann to shop the long-awaited sequel around in August, which triggered a vicious bidding war between Paramount, Sony, and Amazon MGM Studios-owned United Artists (UA). UA is now closing in on a victory, according to the trade.
It’s not just the prospective new home that’s heating up Heat 2‘s Actually Happening potential. Hollywood mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Pirates Of The Caribbean, etc.) and former Netflix Film chairman Scott Stuber have both signed on to produce the project. No official offers have gone out to talent as of this writing, but according to one source, “Everyone you can think of has met on this.” “Everyone” reportedly includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Austin Butler, Adam Driver, Bradley Cooper, and more.
You may note that some of those actors are a fair bit younger than the stars of the 1995 film. Heat 2 will presumably be at least loosely based on the novel of the same name that Mann wrote with Meg Gardiner and released in 2022. That story served as both a prequel and sequel to the original film, following the stories of Neil McCauley (De Niro), Vincent Hanna (Pacino), Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer), and a handful of original characters in both the past and the future. The book became a New York Times bestseller, so it’s safe to say Heat fever hasn’t cooled in the three decades since the original film’s release.
Of course, the same issues that made Warner Bros. skittish about investing too much time and money into Heat 2 could also end up plaguing UA. Mann reportedly asked the former for a budget of $170 million (a decrease from his original $230 million proposal), but the studio would only allocate $135 million to $140 million, with an extra $10 million-or-so available if he committed to Heat 3 as well. UA has not commented on a budget as of this writing, but THR notes that Mann is known for blowing past whatever number is set out anyway. There are still a number of variables that need to fall into place for the sequel to actually make it to screens, but this is a pretty major step in the right direction for all the Heat-heads out there.
