Michael Mann has revealed his planned sequel to Heat will be his next movie.
The director discussed the follow-up while speaking onstage at Deadline’s Contenders London event on Sunday (October 8), where he confirmed it will be his next movie after Ferrari starring Adam Driver.
Asked if the sequel, based on the follow-up novel released last year, will be his next project, Mann said: “Yes. Meg Gardiner and myself wrote the novel Heat 2, which came out right when we were shooting Ferrari. It did very well. I plan to shoot that next.”
The director was also asked about reuniting with Driver on Heat 2 following reports that he was in talks to play the young Neil McCauley, who was originally played by Robert De Niro.
When asked about the possibility of teaming up with Driver again, the director replied: “Perhaps. We don’t talk about that yet.
“Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire [on Ferrari]. We have the same work ethic – which is pretty intense. We like each other, and we had a great time working together artistically.”
In July last year, Mann said he planned to adapt the sequel novel into a “very large ambitious movie” – but it was unclear when he would start shooting it.
Heat 2 serves as both a prequel and sequel to the 1995 crime epic, which starred De Niro as McCauley, Val Kilmer as Chris Shiherlis and Al Pacino as Vincent Hanna. While the original was a box office hit at the time, it has grown in status in the years since.
“When you check out its prominence in home vid for over 20 years, this thing really has legs,” Mann previously told Empire.
“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 large ambitious movie.”
Mann’s latest project is a biopic of racing mogul Enzo Ferrari, starring Driver in the lead role. Other cast members include Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Jack O’Connell.
Ferrari is scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 25, 2023.