Michael Mann is further hinting that Adam Driver may star in the upcoming Heat 2.
In a recent interview with Vulture, Mann was asked about the Heat 2 novel he co-wrote with Meg Gardiner and if it was always his intention to adapt the book into a sequel to the 1995 film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer.
“It wasn’t the intention, but you can’t separate the two,” Mann answered. “I don’t know how to write novels. I do know how to write and imagine screenplays, and I wanted the novel to have a cinematic pace and a story-driven structure to it. I knew everything about every one of those characters. I had imagined all of it. I keep very thorough archives. What became exciting was to have them not be the people they are in Heat, but to put them through the experiences that turned them into the people that they are in Heat.”
Is Adam Driver playing a younger version of Robert De Niro’s character in Heat 2?
When asked about the cast for Heat 2, Mann further hinted that Driver — who stars in Mann’s newest movie, Ferrari — could be playing a younger version of De Niro’s character, Neil McCauley. Mann has previously spoken about wanting to put Driver in the film, though his casting has not yet been confirmed at this time.
“You wouldn’t want to do the same thing,” Mann explained. “Look, this is a crapshoot. You want to reinvent these characters. There are certain qualifications. You have to be a great f—ing actor to play McCauley. I think Adam Driver is a great actor, like De Niro. Then who’s Hanna, who’s Chris Shiherlis? Who can take it someplace fresh? This is not like the dilemma I had with the film of Miami Vice. In retrospect, you could not win that one. If I had to do it over again, I would’ve tried to command the same budget and not call it Miami Vice.”
Earlier this month, Mann confirmed that he plans for Heat 2 to be the next movie he makes following Ferrari. Ferrari, which also stars Penélope Cruz, hits theaters on December 25, 2023.