Heat 2: Michael Mann scouting in Mexico while waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio

The star is in full hesitation: will he take over the role of Val Kilmer and be the star of the film? Or just reprise Robert De Niro’s character for a secondary role?

The project is moving forward, but not as quickly as Michael Mann hoped.

While Heat 2 must begin filming in September, the director would still be hanging on a crucial decision: that of Leonardo DiCaprio.

According to several information relayed by people close to the matter, the casting of the film is not yet completely locked and depends largely on the choice of the star of Titanic. DiCaprio would like to join the adventure, but would still hesitate between two major roles: taking over that of Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro in the original 1995 film, or taking up that of Chris Shiherlis, played at the time by Val Kilmer.

This hesitation is not trivial: the character of Chris occupies a much more important place in the story of Heat 2 and would require a commitment of six to seven months of filming across multiple countries. A particularly heavy schedule as the actor has just completed Martin Scorsese’s next film, which will be titled What Happens at Night.

However, some choices already seem to have been made: Christian Bale should take over the role of Lieutenant Vincent Hanna, formerly played by Al Pacino, while Jason Clarke is expected to play Nate, the fence played in the first film by Jon Voight.

If DiCaprio ultimately chose to play Neil McCauley, Adam Driver, also interested in this character, could be redirected to the role of the main antagonist, Otis Wardell.

While waiting to know the final casting, Michael Mann is actively continuing preparation for the film. The filmmaker also published location photos in Mexico this week, confirming that the machine is indeed in motion.

With an estimated budget of nearly $200 million, Heat 2 promises to be one of the most ambitious projects of Mann’s career. It remains to be seen what place Leonardo DiCaprio will occupy there… and especially when he will decide.