Heat 2 goes to Amazon, Leonardo DiCaprio is in discussion
Hollywood is excited about Michael Mann’s project. Many stars are being considered.
Insiders have been talking about it all summer. And Michael Mann himself declared at the end of September that the film was well in development. Several major media confirm this today, Heat 2 is going to be done, and prominent stars are being considered for the casting, including Leonardo DiCaprio.
THE Hollywood Reporter released the news, announcing that the sequel to Heat will finally land at United Artists, the division of Amazon MGM Studios, with veteran Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun) as producer. Failing to reach an agreement on the budget, Warner Bros. finally let Mann offer it to the competition. And according to the THRParamount and Sony were also interested in this project, financially risky but with very attractive potential.
Heat 2 also excites the actors. The name of Leonardo DiCaprio has been circulating around the film for several weeks, and according to Deadline he is reportedly in talks for the role of Chris Shiherlis, the big-hearted gangster played by Val Kilmer in the 1995 original.
As a reminder, Heat 2 is both a prequel and a sequel to Heatbased on the novel published by Michael Mann in 2022. Part of the story tells the rise of young Neil McCauley (Robert de Niro) in the world of heistry. Another follows Chris Shiherlis, who survived after the film’s climax, attempting to reconnect with his girlfriend.
Among the other stars in the viewfinder, the Hollywood press cites Austin Butler, Adam Driver and Bradley Cooper. Michael Mann has been personally meeting candidates for months. But no one has signed a contract at this stage.
Heat 2 is going to be expensive, and it will need big names to sell it. The story takes place over several decades, and in different locations, from Chicago to Las Vegas, via Los Angeles and South America. And Michael Mann is notorious for going over budget. Hence the fears of Warner Bros., who wanted to lower the rating at all costs. Mann initially wanted 230 million, before going down to 170.
The filming of Heat 2 could take place next year. Amazon MGM plans to release it in theaters.
