There’s some bad news for “Heat” fans. I’m hearing Warner Bros might be getting “cold feet” in regards to Michael Mann’s planned sequel to the 1995 film.
“The budget demanded by Michael [Mann] is way too high,” one source close to the studio tells me. Apparently, “Heat 2” is looking at a targeted budget that’s ballooned in recent months; it’s now in $150M range, which has caught Warners off guard, the source adds.
With Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie a Deux,” which cost $190M, having bombed theatrically, Warners still has a slew of upcoming auteur-driven productions on its schedule, we’re talking new films from Paul Thomas Anderson ($150M), Maggie Gyllenhaal ($100M), Bong Joon-ho ($150M), Ryan Coogler ($100M), and David Robert Mitchell ($100M), Emerald Fennell ($90M), and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ($120M+).
Part of the reason for the pricey “Heat 2” budget might have to do with Mann’s plan to de-age some of the actors from the original, which include Al Pacino. The sequel is set to have flashbacks recounting Vincent Hanna’s younger years, and although I couldn’t fully confirm it, Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley is also supposed to be de-aged.
Mann is close to putting the finishing touches on the script, but with a cast not locked, and Mann’s insistent demands to get final cut, it does look as though this one is in shaky grounds. The source adds that Mann has already spoken to Adam Driver, and Austin Butler — contracts have not been signed but they are committed.
Last month, Mann told Radio France that he was in pre-production mode on “Heat 2” and that, judging by the stack of papers on his desk, it would “definitely” be his next film. He has a few other projects percolating as well, including a remake of the Korean crime-thriller “Veteran,” but that one’s still in the very early stages of development.
Last year, Mann told Variety’s Clayton Davis the plan was for “Heat 2” to shoot in 2024 and that he was putting the finishing touches on the script which he described as both a “prequel and sequel.” More recently, he had been eyeing a “late 2024” or “early 2025” shoot.
This latest update comes as Mann’s $95 million “Ferrari” struggled at the box-office, only grossing $44 million worldwide, and garnering no awards buzz. If you ask me, a real shame since “Ferrari,” although not his best work, was still a sumptuous and, at times, thrilling arthouse film.
“Heat 2” is an adaptation of Mann’s own published novel, which became a New York Times #1 best-seller in August 2022 — it’s a continuation of the “Heat” saga. The setting takes place both before and after the original, utilizing flashbacks in the same vein as in The Godfather Part II, and largely focusing on Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer).