"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Last month, we got word that a sequel to Michael Mann's acclaimed crime thriller, Heat, starring acting legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, is officially moving forward after finding a new home at United Artists when Warner Bros. agreed to allow Mann to shop the project around. Jerry Bruckheimer and Scott Stuber have also boarded as producers.
Several A-list actors were said to be in the mix to play the movie's leads, and we can now add another name to the list.
Deadline is reporting that Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, American Hustle, Public Enemies) looks set to reunite with Mann for the Heat sequel. There are no details on which character he'd play, but Jeff Sneider shared the following shortly after the news broke.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been attached to the film for some time, is still set to play one of the leads, and the likes of Austin Butler, Adam Driver and Bradley Cooper are also said to be circling roles, although "no offers have been made to that talent."
Chris Shiherlis - who was played by the late Val Kilmer in the original movie - was believed to be the character DiCaprio had been cast as, so this would be an intriguing development, and could possibly indicate that the One Battle After Another star will actually play sadistic villain Otis Wardell.
If he signs on, Driver is expected to play the younger Neil McCauley (De Niro's character).
“It’s totally planned to be a movie,” Mann told Empire back in 2022 when rumors that the book was going to be adapted as a series did the rounds online. “Is it a modest movie? No. Is it a very expensive series? No. It’s going to be one large movie.”
Master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other's plans.