Heat 2: Michael Mann Movie Gets Big Update Following WB Budget Battle

Heat 2 is moving forward.

Heat was released in 1995. Directed by Michael Mann, the epic crime film stars Al Pacino as Vincent Hanna, Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley, Val Kilmer as Chris Shiherlis, Jon Voight as Nate, and Tom Sizemore as Michael Cheritto.

In 2022, Mann co-wrote a Heat 2 — which serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the original movie — crime novel with author Meg Gardiner. Mann intended to turn the book into a feature film at Warner Bros. Pictures; however, development on the project has been stalled due to budget disagreements.

What is the Heat 2 update?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, after Warner Bros. decided to let the movie be shopped around in August 2025, Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists division is now in talks to acquire the rights to the movie. Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt have also now joined the project as producers.

The Hollywood Reporter claims that Warner Bros. was willing to make Heat 2 for around $140 million, or, alternatively, for $150 million if Mann would commit to making a Heat 3. The initial budget for Heat 2, however, came in at $230 million before Mann whittled it down to $170 million.

How big a budget Heat 2 will get at United Artists is unclear at this time. Paramount and Sony were also interested in acquiring the project before it was acquired by Amazon.

No official casting for Heat 2 has been announced at this time, though there have been plenty of rumors going around. One of the more popular names to emerge is Leonardo DiCaprio, while Austin Butler, Adam Driver, and Bradley Cooper have also been mentioned in past articles. No offers have been made to any talent as of yet.

A release date for Heat 2, which will be executive produced by Eric Roth and Shane Salerno, has not yet been set.

Source: Comingsoon.net