Al Pacino Suggests A Surprising Actor To Replace Him In Heat 2
Al Pacino has given arguably the best compliment ever, as he suggested a surprising actor to take his place in the potential Heat 2 sequel.
Al Pacino, star of the incredible 1995 crime thriller Heat, directed by Michael Mann, was present at a special screening of the beloved movie alongside his co-star Robert DeNiro Friday night. The special Heat screening was part of the Tribecca Film Festival’s Retrospective series and copies of Heat’s novel sequel, penned by Heat director Michael Mann were doing the rounds at the event. This prompted questions in Al Pacino’s direction on who he would like to see cast as his replacement should a Heat 2 movie be released. According to Deadline, Pacino has Timothée Chalemet in mind.
In Heat, Al Pacino stars as Lt. Vincent Hanna, a detective in the LAPD hot on the chase of a master criminal, Neil McCauley, played by Robert DeNiro. The film marked the first time Pacino and DeNiro shared the screen and they were joined in the cast by the likes of Jon Voight, Top Gun: Maverick’s Val Kilmer, and Thor: Love and Thunder’s Natalie Portman. Heat 2, is a sequel/prequel to the original film that comes in the form of a novel and is the first book that Michael Mann has ever written. Should it be produced into a film, Al Pacino would like to see Timothée Chalamet take on the role of Vincent Hanna. Here is what Pacino had to say at the NYC event: “Timothée Chalamet… He’s a wonderful actor.”
A short, but sharp statement on Timothée Chalemet from Al Pacino and perhaps one of the most glowing endorsements a young actor could receive. Al Pacino is one of Hollywood’s greatest ever thespians, star of the raucous Scarface and the incomparable Godfather & Godfather Part II. Along with starring in some of the most iconic films of the 20th Century (Heat included), Pacino has been nominated for nine Oscars in total, and won one of his nominations, thanks to his performance in Scent of a Woman (1993 Academy Awards).
There would be few who could argue with Al Pacino when it comes to Timothée Chalemet, the 26-year-old actor burst onto the scene in Luca Guadagino’s 2017 romantic drama Call Me by Your Name, which earned him an Oscar nomination for his heartbreaking performance. Chalemet has been highly sought after since and has appeared in works by a number of talented directors, such as Greta Gerwig and Wes Anderson. More recently, Chalemet has made the jump to massive blockbuster filmmaking, as he took on the lead role of Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (2021). Given that Rogerebert.com call Heat, “the best heist movie ever made” it would be very surprising if studio execs didn’t consider adapting Michael Mann’s Heat 2 novel into a film, especially since Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro have recently rolled back the years (albeit digitally) in the 2019 movie The Irishman. Could the de-aging technology allow Pacino to reprise his role of Lt. Vincent Hanna in the post-Heat segments of the sequel novel and star alongside Timothée Chalemet as his younger self in the pre-Heat segments? If it were to come to pass, then surely Heat 2 would go on to be a rip-roaring success.
