Seminal director Michael Mann has his sights set on bringing a Heat sequel to screen, with the filmmaker revealing that he has plans to adapt his upcoming Heat 2 novel for the big screen. Speaking with Empire Magazine, Mann revealed that the novel, which will act as both prequel and sequel to the critically acclaimed 1995 thriller starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, would make “one large movie.” A large movie that he hopes to bring to life eventually.
“It’s totally planned to be a movie. Is it a modest movie? No. Is it a very expensive series? No. It’s going to be one large movie.”
Mann states that he has no intentions of turning Heat 2 into a series (despite the modern popularity of such things) and would only bring cop Vincent Hanna and robber Neil McCauley back on the silver screen. But would Heat 2 bring back Al Pacino and Robert De Niro alongside Michael Mann? Well, the director foresees some issues with that...
“I love those guys, but they’d have to be six years younger than they were in Heat.”
Interestingly, both Pacino and De Niro have returned to their younger years thanks to digital de-aging technology courtesy of the Netflix crime epic The Irishman. With mixed results. While it’s unknown what Mann’s plan would be for his two main characters, his answer suggests that he would lean more towards recasting rather than CGI trickery.
Due for release on August 9, Heat 2 has been described by Mann "as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name.” The novel covers “the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Jon Voight)” and leads up to the events of the movie, as well as going beyond them.
“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,” the official synopsis reads.
Al Pacino Picks Timothée Chalamet to Replace Him in Heat 2
While some fans of Heat will balk at the idea of recasting the characters played by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Pacino himself has already chosen who could best play Lieutenant Vincent Hanna during his younger years. "Timothee Chalamet. Great actor, good looks," the legendary actor said recently, naming the Dune star as the perfect replacement.
Of course, Heat 2 being both a prequel and a sequel would suggest that Pacino could still return for the project, depicting the later years of the dangerously committed detective.
If Michael Mann gets his way, and the Heat 2 novel is well-received, we could one day be sitting down to once again bask in the intense, action-packed world of Heat.