UPDATE: In an interview with Vulture, Michael Mann seemingly confirms that Adam Driver will most likely take over Robert De Niro’s role as Neil MacCauley.
EARLIER: The BFI London Film Festival’s surprise film this year was “Ferrari.” Michael Mann then came out for a surprise Q&A and revealed that “Heat 2” was indeed going to his next film. So, there’s the confirmation we needed.
Mann’s directed many great films in his career, “The Insider,” “Manhunter,” “Collateral,” “Thief,” but none seem to have had the impact of his 1995 crime epic, “Heat.” Christopher Nolan has consistently cited the film as one of his main influences, especially on “The Dark Knight.” Last year, Nolan even hosted a ‘Heat’ Q&A with Mann, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino at Tribeca.
During a recent NYFF conversation, Mann refused to confirm or deny that Adam Driver was cast in his upcoming sequel. If anything, Mann sidestepped the question:
Adam and I got along like a house on fire. We have the same work ethic – it was pretty intense and we had a great time working together artistically.
No confirmation or denial there. “Heat 2” is already a published novel from Mann, a sort of prequel and sequel to the the 1995 film. Mann hasn’t been shy in his public acknowledgment that he’d love to turn it into feature film.
Back in April, early reports came in that Driver was in talks to play a young version of Robert DeNiro’s Neil McCauley character. I had also heard that Al Pacino, Ana de Armas and Austin Butler were being circled for roles.
There is no production date scheduled for “Heat 2.” The SAG-AFTRA strike has stalled an official announcement and, regardless, I bet things won’t truly get rolling until after Mann’s “Ferrari” gets released theatrically this coming December.
Speaking of “Ferrari,” Mann’s first film in over 8 years, also starring Driver, it’s been getting decent reviews from critics, but not many extraordinary reactions. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of business this $90 million film does with these kind of reviews.