Heat 2 Is Happening
Michael Mann was a guest on Marc Maron's podacst, where he revealed that Heat 2 is being made, and it will be a massive movie.
We had reported that Michael Mann was working on a book that is the direct sequel to Heat. The director also explained that this Heat 2 novel would be the basis of an eventual film that is going to come out. However, one drawback to the plan is that Val Kilmer is no longer able to appear in films because of losing his ability to speak. His character was meant to be the basis of the sequel, along with the other characters that appeared in the first film. Mann was recently a guest on the WTF Podcast with Marc Maron, where he revealed that the film is going to be made. According to the director, “This is a book, but it’s also going to be a very large movie.”
The synopsis of Heat 2 does sound quite ambitious. It is meant to cover the lives of Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Jon Voight). However, the film will take on all their formative years. They will all rise in infamy and Hanna in reputation. Then, it will take audiences to the big heist that occurs in the original film, plus the fallout of what happens when things go horribly wrong. There is also going to be a Taiwanese crime syndicate and drug cartel thrown in for good measure. This sounds like quite a movie to accomplish. Naturally, a book has a ton more leniency with page count, but shrinking all this into one possibly two-hour movie might prove difficult.
Michael Mann is dead set on creating the movie though. He added, “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 had broken down what Heat 2 could be before. He wants to turn the film into some grand with both prequel and sequel elements coexisting in the same film. Again, there is one big issue with that. All four of the above actors are much older than they were in 1995. Kilmer also cannot speak any longer. It is a shame that the film would have to be recast, but it sounds as if that might be the course to take. Al Pacino did suggest that Timothee Chalamt replaces him in the sequel, which would be amazing.
It has been nearly 30 years since Heat premiered in theaters. Anyone who happens to not have been a superfan of the original film might be ok with Heat 2 bringing in the all-new cast. Again, it would be a shame, but Michael Mann does seem quite determined to get this sequel made. We are curious to see how the novel works out, as it is going to be the medium that is made first.
Heat 2 is likely to be released in the next three years. The 30-year anniversary will take place in 2025, and three years is plenty of time to get a script together. Well, this is assuming that the book is already completed. Three years for completing a full novel and a script might be a bit of a stretch. Either way, we are excited to see where this sequel takes one of the best thrillers from the 1990s. It’s just a shame Val Kilmer is going to have to skip this one.
