Recent casting reports about filmmaker Michael Mann’s highly anticipated sequel to 1995’s “Heat” may not be as set in stone as you think.
The film, which is slated to shoot from September 2026 through until March 2027 in both Los Angeles and Paraguay, has been the subject of intense casting speculation for years.
Recent reports have suggested Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Adam Driver and most recently Stephen Graham’s involvement in different roles.
Former entertainment journalist and long time industry veteran Kris Tapley however has posted an update on X clearing things up. He indicates no-one is locked into anything yet:
“The funniest thing about HEAT 2 is the fact that multiple top actors are circling multiple roles in the film and it’s all about scheduling as to who lands where – and any of the combinations will be sensational. (Only thing locked in is Bale as Hanna.)”
He goes on to explain the big hold-up is essentially Leonardo DiCaprio, who is coming off Scorsese’s new film and is still “very much deciding” whether to take on the Neil McCauley or Chris Shiherlis role (the De Niro & Kilmer roles in the original 1995 film).
Mann is planning a seven-month shoot and so it’s a question of how many months DiCaprio is willing to commit – the Chris role is a much bigger one than the Neil one this time out.
It seems to be a game of musical chairs. If DiCaprio chooses Neil, Driver would potentially play Chris and Graham would play the villain Otis. If DiCaprio chooses Chris, then Graham will play Neil, and Driver will play Otis.
Austin Butler was previously rumored but Tapley indicates it’s not clear what happened to him in all the fuss.
Mann recently posted a photo of himself location scouting in Mexico for the $200 million feature.
