‘Heat 2’ Officially Greenlit at Amazon as Major Stars Already Eye Key Roles

Michael Mann’s highly anticipated follow-up to his 1995 crime classic Heat is officially moving forward, now finding a new home at Amazon through United Artists, part of Amazon MGM Studios.

The project had been up in the air after Warner Bros. and Mann couldn’t agree on a budget earlier this year.

Producers Jerry Bruckheimer, known for his blockbuster action films like Top Gun, and Scott Stuber, former head of Netflix Films, have joined the project, along with Mann and Stuber’s producing partner Nick Nesbitt.

Heat 2 is planned as both a prequel and a sequel, spanning multiple timelines. One story thread follows a younger Neil McCauley and his crew as they pull off high-stakes heists. Another focuses on Shihirlis, the thief played by Val Kilmer in the original, as he searches for his former girlfriend, originally played by Ashley Judd.

Part of the story will also be set in a dangerous, lawless region of South America, while a new villain named Otis Wardell, described as a brutal murderer and rapist, will serve as the main antagonist.

Reportedly, Leonardo DiCaprio, Austin Butler, Adam Driver, and Bradley Cooper are all circling roles.

Budget discussions were a major reason Warner Bros. stepped away from the project. Sources say the initial proposal for Heat 2 was $230 million, which Mann trimmed down to $170 million. Warner Bros. reportedly offered $135–140 million, though some sources say the studio would have gone up to $150 million if Mann agreed to commit to a Heat 3 as well. Mann’s reputation for going over budget, combined with the sprawling locations and large cast, made it a tricky project for studios.

Despite that, Mann has reportedly been meeting with actors for months, and many high-profile stars are said to be interested. One source said, “Everyone you can think of has met on this.”

The original Heat remains one of the most influential crime films in modern cinema. Released in 1995 by Warner Bros., it starred Al Pacino as a dedicated LAPD detective and Robert De Niro as career criminal Neil McCauley, with Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, and Tom Sizemore in key roles.

The story focused on the intense cat-and-mouse conflict between the two men and explored the effects on their personal lives. Mann originally wrote the script in 1979, first developing it for television as the 1989 film L.A. Takedown before reworking it into the feature-length movie. Heat was a critical and commercial success, grossing $187 million on a $60 million budget.

Heat 2 had been officially announced on July 20, 2022, but its future was uncertain until now. With Amazon stepping in and top producers on board, it seems the long-awaited sequel is finally on its way.

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