Michael Mann’s Heat 2 is still coming together, with Adam Driver and Austin Butler in the running for roles. The film, a sequel to Mann’s seminal 1995 heist thriller and based on the book he co-wrote with Meg Gardiner, is facing some budgetary hurdles at Warner Bros. But there’s a potential solution and that would be if Leonardo DiCaprio joined the cast.
According to Puck, DiCaprio is circling a role in Heat 2. He’s had some early discussions for an undisclosed part in the film, and if that happens it would make WB feel a lot better about the budget, which they are trying to get beneath $170M. It was as high as $200M before they got it whittled down.
DiCaprio and Mann have been trying to work together for years, and nearly did on a James Dean biopic back in the ’90s. Nothing came together then, largely due to DiCaprio’s age, but the time could be right. The actor has always been picky about the projects he takes, and largely decides based on the directors he gets to work with. Mann would be a huge check off the list.
Heat 2 takes place across two time periods, acting as a prequel and sequel to the 1995 film with young versions of the characters played by Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and Val Kilmer. In the first period, Chris Shiherlis tries to escape the LAPD after the robbery gone wrong, making his way to Southern Asia. The other time period is in 1988 Chicago, as McCauley and Shiherlis and their crew nearly encounter Detective Hannah as he pursues a violent gang of home invaders.
