The Heat 2 movie is confirmed to be happening, but only a few details about the project have been released to the public.
Legendary director Michael Mann announced all the way back in 2016 that he was going to revisit the world of his hit 1995 crime thriller in the form of a follow-up book titled Heat 2.
With the book's release in 2022, Mann's plans began to shift, opting to transform this prequel/sequel story from a strictly literary venture into a full-on star-studded blockbuster.
Everything We Know About the Heat 2 Movie
Heat 2's First Draft is Complete
After years of rumors about whether Michael Mann would adapt his Heat 2 novel for the big screen, the Heat 2 movie was officially confirmed to be in the works in April 2023 (via Deadline).
Mann revealed that he would pursue the project as his next film after 2023's Ferrari, with Warner Bros. set to back the movie.
The renowned filmmaker then confirmed several years later, in a March 2025 interview with Vulture, that a script had been finished and handed into Warner Bros. earlier in the year.
"I just finished the screenplay and handed in the first draft," Mann posited, calling the movie an "exciting project:"
"I just finished the screenplay and handed in the first draft...In this case it was Warner Brothers. Any more than that, I can’t talk about. But it’s an exciting project."
Heat 2 Is Based on the Novel of the Same Name
Heat 2 is a unique prospect, serving as both a prequel and sequel to the original Heat story (both written by director Micheal Mann). The film project originally started as a book by Mann, which was released worldwide in 2022, before being pursued as a full-on big-screen affair.
The book recounts the origins of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (played by Al Pacino in the original film) and criminals Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer).
It starts in the immediate aftermath of the original Heat movie before jumping back in time to 1988. The prequel part of the story follows its three main characters in a globe-trotting adventure where they begin to garner their own respective reputations (on both sides of the law).
Then, Heat 2 hops to the other side of the original Heat's events and tells the tale of what happened to each of the original film's main characters after De Niro's McCauley evades Pacino's enterprising detective at the end of the first Heat movie.
Adam Driver Might Star in Heat 2, But 'Who Knows'
Several big names have been associated with Heat 2 throughout its development, the most significant of which is two-time Oscar nominee Adam Driver.
Driver's name came up in conversations surrounding the film as soon as it was officially announced, with insiders claiming the former Kylo Ren actor would take on the role of a young Neil McCauley (originally played by Robert De Niro).
Driver previously worked with director Michael Mann, playing Enzo Ferrari in Mann's 2023 biopic of the famed automaker, Ferrari, but (even more than two years after these initial reports) his Heat 2 casting remains unconfirmed.
In a December 2023 conversation with AP News, Driver commented on the idea of bringing to life De Niro's iconic big-screen criminal mastermind, saying, "We’ll see what happens:"
"We'll see what happens with 'Heat 2.' Who knows."
Jeremy Allen White and Al Pacino are Rumored to Star
Two other stars rumored to appear in Heat 2 are The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White and co-lead of the original film Al Pacino.
Pacino was reportedly attached to the project, reprising his role as Detective Vincent Hanna in the sequel part of Heat 2's story, with someone else playing a younger version of the character in the other parts of the timeline.
Someone who could bring that younger version of Detective Hanna to life with Jeremy Allen White. White's name has come up as a potential candidate to play the character in the upcoming Mann-directed sequel, as he has expressed interest in the part.
He is not the only one thought, as Magic Mike star Channing Tatum and Elvis actor Austin Butler (via The Film Stage) have both also appeared in potential casting rumors for the film.
Michael Mann Hopes To Film Heat 2 in Many Different Countries
According to Michael Mann, he hopes to film Heat 2 in many different countries around the world.
Given the book's globe-trotting nature, it would make sense that the movie operated on a similar scale, going from the streets of Los Angeles to Mexico and even to the far reaches of Indonesia.
Describing where he sees shooting the film, Mann told fans at a special screening of his Miami Vice movie in August 2024 (via Courtney Howard on X) that it will likely include a lengthy shooting schedule in "Mexicali, in Chicago, in LA, and then in Southeast Asia:"
"It is so large. We would shoot in Paraguay and shoot that last day where we shot for a number of days in this picture ['Miami Vice']. It was a very wild place. And also in Mexicali, in Chicago, in LA, and then in Southeast Asia, Probably Batam, which is right across the Strait of Malacca from Singapore."
Mann previously hoped to get shooting started on the project earlier this year (per The Los Angeles Times); however, given that the screenplay was only just submitted, that is no longer the case.
One can assume that with a draft finished, Heat 2 could start production later this year, lining it up for a release in either 2026 or 2027.
