Crime Fans Rejoice: 'Heat 2' Is Happening

The city of Los Angeles is ready for another giant heist caper. And Michael Mann wants to deliver it.

According to reports on Deadline, Heat 2 is officially a go, with Michael Mann directing and Leonardo DiCaprio in early talks to star alongside Adam Driver and Austin Butler. We've even heard rumors of Bradley Cooper being involved as well.

After a budget dispute with Warner Bros. over how much they could put into the movie and how many sequels they wanted, Amazon MGM has stepped in to finance and distribute the highly anticipated sequel to the 1995 crime classic via their United Artists branch.

I'm a massive fan of the original movie, and after reading the sweeping epic that was Heat 2, I was hoping at least one studio would step into the ring to make this thing.

Now, it's finally happening.

Let's dive in.

Everything We Know About Heat 2

With all these rumors and reports, it can be hard to tell what we know is definitely happening. Right now, that's basically just the fact that Heat 2 is happening and Michael Mann is set to direct.

The project is based on Mann's 2022 novel of the same name, and will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Scott Stuber.

The move to United Artists comes after Warner Bros. balked at the film's proposed budget, which was reportedly around $170 million.

A Prequel and a Sequel

The Heat 2 novel functions as both a prequel and a sequel to the original film. So it happens in two different time periods, which I'm sure drove the budget up.

It explores the lives of Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), and Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) before and after the events of the first film.

The story jumps between two timelines: one following Shiherlis after the bank robbery, and another going back to 1988 to show McCauley and his crew in their prime.

DiCaprio as Shiherlis?

While no casting is official, Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly being eyed for the role of Chris Shiherlis.

This would be a departure for DiCaprio, who has never worked with Mann as a director, though Mann did produce Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, in which DiCaprio starred and is one of DiCaprio's best movies.

Other names that have been floated for roles include Austin Butler, Adam Driver, and Bradley Cooper. But we're not totally sure who they'd play and in what time period.

Summing It All Up

The sequel to Heat is still in the early stages of development, but the combination of Mann, a star-studded cast, and heist movies in two different time periods sounds awesome.

Let me know what you think in the comments.