Michael Mann shares updates about 'Heat 2' at Lyon's Lumière Film Festival

This year’s Lumière Festival successful Lyon took its last front pinch a screening of Michael Mann’s epic crime play Heat. And what a measurement to headdress disconnected this year’s 17th edition, which feted nan American head pinch its honorary Lumière Award.

The 1995 movie, starring Al Pacino arsenic detective Vincent Hanna and Robert De Niro arsenic criminal Neil McCauley, is considered 1 of Mann’s greatest. And a sequel is connected nan way.

“We’re successful nan mediate of negotiations and it looks for illustration it will spell guardant sometime successful nan summertime of 2026,” shared nan 82-year-old head during nan festival.

Heat 2 is already a caller written by Mann and Meg Gardiner. It was published successful 2022, and serves arsenic some a prequel and a sequel to Heat.

Little has been officially confirmed regarding nan movie and its cast, pinch rumours suggesting that Adam Driver whitethorn beryllium successful statement to play a young McCauley and Leonardo DiCaprio could beryllium successful early talks to represent Chris Shiherlis, a domiciled played by the precocious Val Kilmer.

Mann did not corroborate whether 85-year-old Pacino will reprise his domiciled arsenic surviving bull Hanna but did springiness journalists immoderate much accusation regarding nan sequel during a property convention this weekend.

Asked why he was keen to revisit nan characters of Heat, particularly since Mann has ne'er done a sequel to 1 of his films, nan head revealed it was owed to his heavy relationship pinch nan characters.

“The characters of 'Heat' are truthful live to maine that I cognize everything astir extracurricular nan boundaries of nan film. I cognize what De Niro’s characteristic looked for illustration erstwhile he was authorities raised arsenic an 11-year-old, wearing apparel that didn’t match, being ostracized, which past made him fierce and violent, which led to juvenile facilities,” said nan director.

“I cognize everything astir these characters. I ever wanted to do much pinch these people, but I couldn’t fig retired really to do it because one’s dormant astatine nan extremity of 'Heat',” he revealed. “Then nan thought occurred to maine based connected nan rapport betwixt nan 2 adversaries, Pacino’s Hanna and De Niro’s McCauley, astir really to do some earlier nan events of 'Heat' and after.”

Mann confirmed that Heat 2 would jump crossed timelines, exploring some earlier and aft nan events of nan original film.

“It starts 1 time aft 1995 and only Val Kilmer is alive, and he has to fly nan United States,” Mann revealed. “And past it goes 7 years earlier. It's 1988, and Hanna is simply a detective successful Chicago, not Los Angeles. And successful 1988, Hanna and McCauley are not nan aforesaid group they are successful 1995. It’s nan events of 1988 which past turned them into nan characters of 1995.”

He elaborated: “For example, McCauley, who has an thought of nary attachment... Have thing successful your life that you can’t locomotion distant from successful 30 seconds flat. In 1988, he has a woman and a stepdaughter. He has a atomic family that is very attached to him.”

Mann talked concisely astir experimenting pinch AI and seemed to corroborate that integer de-aging devices will play a domiciled successful Heat 2.

“I don't research pinch exertion gratuitously. When I person a melodramatic aliases artistic request for it, past I spell heavy into what I need. So, for example, aging and de-aging whitethorn beryllium very important successful nan adjacent film.”

Considering really de-aging exertion went down successful Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and successful Indiana Jones and nan Dial of Destiny, this could beryllium controversial. Still, successful Mann we want to trust.

The head confimed his hopes to statesman filming successful Summer 2026, pinch a position to releasing Heat 2 successful 2027. He besides addressed nan workplace move from Warner Bros. to Amazon MGM, arsenic Mann could not scope an statement pinch Warner regarding nan project’s budget.

"Heat 2 is an costly movie to make, but I judge it should beryllium made astatine nan due size and scale. It’s going to sprout successful Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay, and perchance immoderate parts successful Singapore.”

“If it was astatine a low, debased price, I could person made it anywhere. But it’s complex. I can’t get into each nan authorities of it, but we moved from Warner Brothers to Amazon and United Artists.”

Regarding whether nan woody pinch nan steaming elephantine could discuss nan film’s theatrical merchandise - successful nan aforesaid measurement Ferrari bypassed cinemas successful definite European territories – Mann was reassuring.

“It will beryllium perfectly released theatrically, successful nan United States, astir apt successful astir 4,000 cinemas and for astatine slightest 45 days,” he said, adding that he felt nan streamer was entering a caller era pinch regards to distribution.

“Amazon is successful transition, which is why they bought Bond. They’re successful a modulation to go thing much than a streaming service. They person ambitions beryllium a major, I don’t want to speak for Amazon, a awesome fig successful exhibition, successful theatrical.”

He added: “The potential, because nan movie would travel retired successful almost 2 years from now, nan imaginable of nan synergy wrong Amazon is massive.”

Michael Mann is this year's Prix Lumière recipient. The show took spot successful Lyon from 11 - 19 October 2025.