Michael Mann will direct HEAT 2 with Adam Driver in talks to play young Neil McCauley

Not long after Michael Mann released his Heat sequel novel, he was talking about adapting it into “one big movie.” Well, the director is now in talks with Warner Bros. to direct Heat 2 three decades after the release of the first film!

Mann previously explained, “It’s totally planned to be a movie. Is it a modest film? No. Is it a very expensive series? No. It will be a great film. It is also reported that Adam Driver is currently in talks with Mann to play the young Neil McCauley in the film. The character was previously played by Robert DeNiro.

Mann has already explained that De Niro and Val Kilmer they would not be able to reprise their roles: “I love those kids, but they should be six years younger than they were in Heat.But, Mann seems confident the sequel would be a hit, saying:

“It is underpinned by culture. He is known. I could kid myself into thinking the whole world knows about him, but when you take a look at his prominence in home videos for over 20 years, this thing really has legs. People are still watching it, people are still talking about it. It’s a brand. It’s kind of a Heat universe, in a way. And that certainly justifies a very ambitious film.

The sequel will tell the story of what led up to the events of the first film, set in 1989, and what happened after, set in 2002. It covers “the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer) and Nate (Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations and attention to detail as the epic film.”

This new story “leads to the events of the film and then beyond, with new characters on both sides of the law, new high-profile heists, and breathtaking cinematic action sequences. From the streets of Los Angeles to the inner sanctum of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money laundering operation just across the border from Mexico, Heat 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international criminal organizations and the agents who prosecute them as it provides a thoroughbred portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. operatic in scope, Heat 2 is gripping, moving, and tragic, a mystery masterpiece from one of American cinema’s most innovative and influential filmmakers.

It is explained that the book jumps between two time periods, “the first follows Chris Shiherlis as he tries to elude the LAPD and Detective Vincent Hanna after the bank robbery gone wrong and moves into new territory in the three-zone borders and in Southeast Asia. The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988, when McCauley, Shiherlis and their high-powered group are taking scores on the West Coast, the US-Mexico border, and in Chicago. At the same time, Hanna is cutting her teeth as a rising star in the Chicago Police Department, hunting down an ultra-violent gang of home invaders. The aftermath of McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative.”

Mann and Driver recently worked together Ferrariwhich is currently in post-production. Heat 2 very well could be the director’s next film project.

It’s good to see what Mann might actually be able to do Heat 2! The first movie was so good, and I’m excited to see what he does in bringing the story to life for the sequel!

Source: Deadline