Leonardo DiCaprio might be stepping into some seriously hot territory. Michael Mann’s long-anticipated Heat 2, a follow-up to his iconic 1995 crime epic, is heating up at United Artists under Amazon MGM Studios after parting ways with Warner Bros.
Mann is officially set to return as writer-director, working from his own 2022 novel Heat 2, co-authored with Meg Gardiner. In an exciting twist, powerhouse producers Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun: Maverick), Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt will join Mann on this sequel-reboot journey.
Although the original Heat featured unforgettable performances from Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer, Heat 2 is forging a new path with an all-new cast — and that likely means no Pacino or Ashley Judd, despite their characters’ roles in the source material.
But here’s the buzz: Leonardo DiCaprio is being eyed to play Chris Shiherlis, the slick bank robber originally portrayed by Kilmer. While DiCaprio is older than Kilmer was during Heat, the timeline of the sequel—part prequel, part follow-up—allows for some age flexibility.
Interestingly, DiCaprio has never worked under Mann’s directorial command, despite coming close on Public Enemies. They did collaborate, though, when Mann produced The Aviator for Martin Scorsese.
If DiCaprio signs on, this would be his first sequel role in over three decades—not since his 1991 debut in Critters 3.
Names like Austin Butler, Bradley Cooper, and Adam Driver (a Mann alum from Ferrari) have also been in the conversation for key roles, though nothing’s been confirmed.
Heat 2 promises to dive deeper into the criminal underworld and the emotional wreckage left behind, weaving through timelines both before and after the original film’s cat-and-mouse chaos. One thing’s for sure: Michael Mann’s fire still burns bright.