Adam Driver in Talks for ‘Heat’ Sequel

Michael Mann Plans ‘Heat’ Sequel with Adam Driver in Talks for a Lead Role

If he does star, Driver will play a younger version of Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley.

Adam Driver in Sony's '65.'

There have been rumors for a while that Michael Mann would be re-visiting his classic 1995 crime thriller ‘Heat’, famous for its action and for the head-to-head criminal-vs-cop meetings of heist expert Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), and Det. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino).

That looked to crystalize into more of a written form when he published a sequel novel, co-written with Meg Gardiner, last August, which has since gone on to become a bestseller.

Heat 2

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Spanning the years 1988–2000, this sequel/prequel will explore the lives of homicide detective Vincent Hanna and criminals Neil McCauley and Chris Shiherlis years... Read the Plot

And though that might have been the end of it, you could have predicted that that would never happen if a movie studio had anything to do with it.

Cut to today, and now Deadline reports that Warner Bros., which distributed the original, is locking in a deal to make the book into a sequel. And Mann, who has Adam Driver starring in his latest film, about Italian sports car entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari, is now looking to cast the actor in the ‘Heat’ sequel.

(L to R) Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in 1995's 'Heat.'

What happens in ‘Heat’?

Mann’s original film follows McCauley, who leads a group of professional bank robbers, taking down major scores around Los Angeles. But after their latest heist goes terribly wrong and ends up in homicide, Det. Hanna finds a clue and becomes obsessed with the case, determined to stop McCauley’s crew.

Hanna and McCauley are competing against each other in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Although they are on different sides of the law, they still find huge respect, recognition in each other’s troubled personal lives and they understand their competing motivations –– yet they won’t hesitate to do whatever they can to win the battle.

(L to R) Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer in 1995's 'Heat.'

How does ‘Heat 2’ tie in?

‘Heat 2’ as a book tells the story of everything that happens before and after to the principal characters. The book jumps between two time periods, the first following Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer in the original film) as he tries to evade the LAPD and Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia.

The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988 when McCauley, Shiherlis and their crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.–Mexico border, and in Chicago. At the same time, Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago police department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.

The fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative.

While development is at a relatively early stage, we can anticipate Mann heading back to the territory of one of his greatest hits in an interesting new way. And with Driver circling the lead, it’s even more exciting.