Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’: Christian Bale could join the cast

After years of speculation, Heat 2 is on.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the will-they-won't-they sequel to the crime classic is finally be happening. More than three years after writer-director Michael Mann published his novel with coauthor Meg Gardiner, the adaptation is planning to shoot early next year.

The road to more tales of crews taking score and the men who try to stop them has been a long and winding one, so here's everything you need to know about Heat 2.

What is Heat 2?

As the title would suggest, Heat 2 is the sequel to the 1995 cops-and-robbers epic starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, and Ashley Judd. Though it was completely ignored by the Oscars, Heat was a hit upon initial release and has only grown in esteem, influencing filmmakers from Christopher Nolan and Ava DuVernay to Wes Anderson and Ben Affleck.

Flash-forward to this century and with the launch of his own publishing imprint, Mann announced that he would be continuing the story of Heat with a novel taking place before and after the events of the film. Released in 2022, the book Heat 2, which Mann wrote with Gardiner, sold well — becoming a No. 1 New York Times bestseller — and perhaps even more shockingly, was good.

The story of the book is told in two main parts: one following a younger Neal McAuley (De Niro's character from Heat) and his crew as they pull scores in Chicago and then Mexico, and then Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer's role) in the aftermath of the events of Heat and his journey through the South American underworld to reunite with his family.

After publication, Mann was very open about his desire to adapt the novel into a film. A handful of actors' names, like Adam Driver and Austin Butler, even began surfacing as potential cast members. But the question remained of whether Mann would find the financial backing to make the movie happen.

What was the hold up?

In short: They don't make 'em like they used to.

Mann as a director represents several modes of filmmaking that the modern studios have shied away from. He is meticulous, practical, and he takes his time. All three of those characteristics translate directly to a higher budget.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mann's initial budget proposal for studio Warner Bros. came out to $230 million, an amount that these days demands a CGI portal in the sky, plans for a cross-media universe, and a least a couple Infinity Stones. In fact, when Warner Bros. balked at Mann's compromise budget of $170 million, they offered to meet him at $150 million if he agreed to make Heat 3 as well.

Ultimately, Mann and WB couldn't reach an agreement, and the studio allowed the director to shop the project elsewhere, which he did — with some help.

What changed?

Some guy named Leonardo DiCaprio became interested, reportedly in taking over the Chris role from Kilmer, who died earlier this year.

The actor is enjoying a nice bump in profile with the success of One Battle After Another (for which Mann attended an early screening on the Warner Bros. lot last month). And while DiCaprio hasn't officially signed on, Mann was able to take the project back out to buyers with the potential star power as part of the deal, and he found a new home for Heat 2 with United Artists, a company under the Amazon MGM Studios umbrella.

Now that the project has a home, an offer for DiCaprio is expected in the near future, further cementing his status as an actor who can get legends a green light, even in 2025.

Who else could star?

With a studio in place, the trades have said to expect actor deals to come quickly as Mann eyes a 2026 start to filming. Whether any of the names previously associated with the project crop back up as casting begins remains to be seen.

The one new name that did appear in the wake of the United Artists pickup is Mann's Public Enemies collaborator Christian Bale. Deadline is reporting that Bale may be joining the cast in an undisclosed role. But if one were to imagine Christian Bale with a goatee and slicked back hair, he might look a little something like Neil McCauley. Just a thought!

Where will the movie film?

At the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, Mann elaborated on some of the hold-up and the project's expansive budget, saying that Heat 2 would film in the summer of 2026 "in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay, and possibly some parts in Singapore."

That list of locales suggests that Mann is incorporating much the novel's international scope.

Will there be de-aging used on returning cast?

Also in Lyon, the director spoke about the impact of artificial intelligence on filmmaking and suggested that the tech could be utilized on Heat 2 to change the appearances of some cast members. "Aging and de-aging may be very important in the next film," he said, according to Variety.

This story was original published on Oct. 7 and updated on Oct. 20.