Michael Mann is still working on the script for ‘Heat 2’.
The 81-year-old director helmed the original 1995 crime/drama, and has now revealed he is currently in the process of writing the screenplay for the sequel and is hoping the project will move forward at Warner Bros. “as soon as possible”.
In an interview with Collider, Mann said: “Nothing’s definitely going because the sky may fall. But ‘Heat 2’ is at Warner Bros. I'm writing the screenplay for them, and hopefully, we will go forward as soon as possible.”
‘The Insider’ filmmaker added he had recently driven around the streets of Los Angeles early in the morning to find inspiration for the sequel.
He said: “I’m finishing the screenplay, and at 2:30 this morning, it woke me up in the middle of the night.
“So, I'm in the middle of writing the screenplay, and I wound up driving through LA at 3 a.m., which is fantastic, there are no cars, and ended up at [restaurant] Canter’s Delicatessen because that's the only thing open 24 hours.”
Mann said he had previously visited Canter’s Delicatessen to write his episodes of ‘Starsky and Hutch’, ‘The Jericho Mile’ and “probably some early drafts of ‘Heat’”.
He explained: “Then I sat in a booth and wrote there until about 9:00 in morning, trying to finish act four [for 'Heat 2'].
“It was ironic because it's the same booth I sat in when I wrote the first couple episodes of ‘Starsky and Hutch’ back in the 1970s. Then ‘The Jericho Mile’ and probably some early drafts of ‘Heat’.
‘Heat’ - which stars Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer - follows a criminal mastermind who plans one final heist with his team before retiring for good, all while a police lieutenant at the LAPD does everything in his power to stop the bank robbery from happening.
Following on from the movie, Mann wrote and published his novel of a prequel and sequel ‘Heat 2’ with Meg Gardiner in 2022, which explored what happened both before and after the 1995 movie.
Mann first revealed he had begun working on a cinematic adaptation of his work in July, and said he wanted principal production to begin in either late 2024 or early 2025.
It had been rumoured that his ‘Ferrari’ star Adam Driver and ‘Dune: Part Two’ actor Austin Butler would take on the roles played in the original film by Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer, but Mann refused to address the speculation.
He simply told the Los Angeles Times newspaper: “I can’t talk about that.”
Despite refusing to confirm or deny the rumoured casting, Mann teased he and Driver “had a great time working together” on ‘Ferrari’.
He said: “Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire.
“We have the same work ethic – which is pretty intense. We like each other, and we had a great time working together artistically.”
