ALBAWABA - Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale unite for Michael Mann Heat 2.
After a year of lengthy negotiations, Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio have agreed to star in Michael Mann's sequel, which will begin shooting in November, according to four people familiar with the project. While two people said the agreements were already closed, two others indicated they were in final negotiations and expected to close.
Bale will portray Vincent Hanna, the tenacious LAPD robbery-homicide detective played by Al Pacino in the original picture, while DiCaprio will play Chris Shiherlis, who was played by Val Kilmer.
Mann will return to write and direct the sequel, which is based on Mann and Meg Gardiner's novel and will be released in 2022. "Heat 2" is both a prequel and a sequel, set before and after the events of Mann's groundbreaking 1995 picture "Heat."
A spokeswoman for Amazon MGM Studios stated that no agreements have been reached.
TheWrap has also learned that Adam Driver is in talks to play the villain Wardell. Stephen Graham is also in talks to play Neil McCauley, the part originated by Robert De Niro in the first film. TheWrap reports that several actresses are competing for the role of Sharlene, originally portrayed by Ashley Judd. Other A-list stars are also interested in the movie.
The original picture, released in 1995, was based on "L.A. Takedown," which Mann wrote and filmed as a television pilot for NBC. The series was not renewed, and the pilot premiered as a film on August 27, 1989. (It's an intriguing parallel universe rendition of "Heat," with Scott Plank and Alex McArthur portraying characters later played by Pacino and Robert De Niro.) The film went on to gross $187.4 million on a $60 million budget and is regarded as one of the best heist films of all time, notable for its novelistic complexity and captivating characters.
Mann announced his plan to adapt the novel into a film shortly before its publication, and DiCaprio, Bale, Driver, and Graham have long been associated with the project.
Amazon MGM companies won over other companies for "Heat 2" when Warner Bros. went over budget by $200 million. According to two insiders, the budget has moved closer to $170 million. The California tax credit benefits the production by roughly $40 million.
Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt of United Artists are producing, with Shane Salerno and Eric Roth, both screenwriters who have worked with Mann for many years, serving as executive producers. This is Bruckheimer and Mann's first cooperation in 45 years, dating back to "Thief," Mann's first theatrical picture.
The choice to go with Amazon stemmed from Amazon's capacity to monetize the movie long after the theatrical window had closed, and given the original film's lengthy tail—it is consistently one of Warner Bros.' most profitable rental films—it made sense.
According to one insider, the project's ambition is "extraordinary," with shooting scheduled across many countries. This person described the scale as "Spartacus with machine guns. John Wick times 1,000." The action portions in this film are claimed to dwarf those in the previous film, particularly the final bank robbery/shootout, which is so realistic that it is still used as a training film for law enforcement agents today.
When it came to casting the two leads, the problem was to find two actors who could reproduce Pacino and De Niro's epic collaboration from the previous film. Finally, the team paired DiCaprio and Bale, arguably the two best actors of their time, to create a head-to-head competition. (They've also never co-starred in a film together, which adds to the intrigue.)
DiCaprio is, of course, one of a very small number of performers who can make hard-R films that are extremely successful all over the world. We're told that his transaction was quite complicated, taking six or seven months. Organizing calendars for both Bale and DiCaprio, as well as other actors vying for significant roles, added to the complexities of their arrangements.
Of course, Mann and DiCaprio have been trying to collaborate for nearly 30 years. The closest they came was "The Aviator," which Mann was supposed to film but chose against after completing two back-to-back biopics, "The Insider" and "Ali." Martin Scorsese eventually directed "The Aviator." Their moment has finally come.
The aim for "Heat 2" is that, like Bruckheimer's "Top Gun: Maverick," it will be a multi-generational event, with the success of the original picture fueling enthusiasm for the sequel.
It also represents another tentpole for Amazon MGM Studios, which had a major smash earlier this year with "Project Hail Mary," which grossed over $680 million globally, and is expanding into the theaters.
