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Coming off the heels of the news that Universal Pictures is balking at the upcoming Fast film due to budget arguments, we do have some good news in that the long-awaited sequel Heat 2 has finally been greenlit as it moves from Warner Bros. to Amazon MGM’s division of United Artists. Michael Mann’s follow up was in a sticky situation as Warner Bros. was refusing to accept the film’s massive budget, but Mann stood steadfast and shopped it around with Amazon MGM and their division of United Artists swooping in to pay the price and greenlit the film. Now it must be stated that at first, they were skeptical but ultimately went for it as they looked towards the future and how epic this film could be.
According to Deadline who dropped the news, “After years of developing a sequel to his iconic crime drama Heat, director Michael Mann looks to be closer to getting the project made. Sources tell Deadline that Amazon MGM Studios division United Artists is in talks to pick up the project, coming on to finance and distribute the pic. Sources also tell Deadline that Leonardo DiCaprio is in early talks to star in the role of Chris Shiherlis, the character played by Val Kilmer in the 1995 original.”
Deadline also stated, “sources add that as of now no offers have been made to other talent and it is just early talks with DiCaprio, but with the film now set at a studio, those offers should be coming out quickly.”
Along with Mann, Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbit are also set to produce along with Shane Salerno and Eric Roth serving as executive producers.
Mann had continued his Heat story by writing a novel sequel back in 2022 which “jumps between two time periods, the first following Shiherlis as he tries to evade the LAPD and Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and which moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia. The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988, when McCauley, Shiherlis and their high-line crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.-Mexico border and in the Windy City. At the same time, Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago Police Department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.”
The original 1995 film is a master class in crime films starring a bevy of tier one talent including Al Pacino as Detective Vincent Hanna, Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley and Kilmer as Shiherlis. Upon its release, Heat was regarded as a hit but in the years since, it has developed into a classic in the genre. The film was capped off by one of the best shootouts ever captured on film and some would say that it is the best there is. I happen to be one of those that think it;s both a classic and the firefight is the stuff of legends.
Now that Mann has won and is getting the film adaptation made, it’ll be interesting to see if DiCaprio does take on the role. It will also be a hot commodity to see who else signs on for this one as it will be a banger. Stay tuned.
By all means, watch the rip-roaring city street firefight from the first film one more time!
