‘It’s an exciting project’: Heat 2 gets positive update from director Michael Mann
Michael Mann has "finished the screenplay and handed in the first draft" of the script for 'Heat 2'.
Michael Mann has "handed in the first draft" of the script for ‘Heat 2’.
The 81-year-old director - who helmed the original 1995 crime drama - has been working on the sequel since its announcement in 2023, and Mann has now revealed he has completed the story and has submitted it to Warner Bros.
In an interview with Vulture, the filmmaker said: "I just finished the screenplay and handed in the first draft. In this case it was Warner Bros. Any more than that, I can’t talk about. But it’s an exciting project."
‘Heat’ followed criminal mastermind Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) as he plans one last heist while being relentlessly pursued by dedicated LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) - leading to a tense game of cat and mouse.
As their lives become increasingly intertwined, both men struggle with the personal costs of their relentless pursuits.
The last update for ‘Heat 2’ came last November when Mann revealed he was busy penning the story and was hoping the project would move forward "as soon as possible" at Warner Bros.
He told Collider: "Nothing’s definitely going because the sky may fall. But ‘Heat 2’ is at Warner Bros. I'm writing the screenplay for them, and hopefully, we will go forward as soon as possible."
The ‘Collateral’ filmmaker added he had driven around the streets of Los Angeles in the early hours of the morning to find inspiration for the sequel.
He said: "I’m finishing the screenplay, and at 2:30 this morning, it woke me up in the middle of the night.
"So, I'm in the middle of writing the screenplay, and I wound up driving through LA at 3 a.m., which is fantastic, there are no cars, and ended up at [restaurant] Canter’s Delicatessen because that's the only thing open 24 hours."
Mann added he had previously visited restaurant Canter’s Delicatessen to write his episodes of ‘Starsky and Hutch’, ‘The Jericho Mile’ and "probably some early drafts of ‘Heat’".
He explained: "Then I sat in a booth and wrote there until about 9:00 in morning, trying to finish act four [for ‘Heat 2’].
"It was ironic because it's the same booth I sat in when I wrote the first couple episodes of ‘Starsky and Hutch’ back in the 1970s. Then ‘The Jericho Mile’ and probably some early drafts of ‘Heat’."
While no cast members for ‘Heat 2’ have officially been announced, it’s been rumoured that Adam Driver and Austin Butler would portray younger versions of Neil McCauley and Chris Shiherlis (previously portrayed by Val Kilmer) respectively.
Mann had also previously said he hoped principal photography for ‘Heat 2’ would begin in either late 2024 or early 2025, though there has not been any word on an exact start date for the movie’s production yet.
