Michael Mann's Heat 2 has been picked up by Amazon MGM, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Driver touted as potential cast members.

      Although updates have been scarce, leading to speculation that Michael Mann’s Heat 2 might not proceed, today brings significant news: the sequel, adapted from the 2022 novel co-written by Mann and Meg Gardiner, has been picked up by Amazon MGM Studios through United Artists after budget disagreements with Warner Bros. Jerry Bruckheimer and Scott Stuber are set to produce. The Hollywood Reporter states that the film was initially presented to Warner Bros. with an estimated budget of $230 million, which varied significantly, ranging from $170 million to $135 million, and even down to $150 million contingent on Mann agreeing to produce (and brace yourself for this) Heat 3.

      Based on its source material, the prequel-sequel could take place across Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico, and Southeast Asia at a minimum, as the film aims to assemble a cast that outshines the original: Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Driver, Austin Butler, and Bradley Cooper have all been rumored for roles, with reports from two years ago suggesting that Jeremy Allen White and Channing Tatum were also vying for parts. According to a source, “Everyone you can think of has met on this.” Deadline mentions that DiCaprio might step into Val Kilmer’s role as the injured Chris Shiherlis, whose character in the novel is strikingly similar to Chris Hemsworth’s in Blackhat, while previous rumors suggest Adam Driver could portray Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley. The novel carries a cosmic and Godfather II-like essence, and based on Mann and Gardiner’s wildly entertaining project—often complex, heavily plotted, and absurd, yet still captivating, in essence: Heat—there is a robust foundation for something truly outrageous.

      There is no information yet on when production will begin, but with this acquisition, it’s reasonable to expect filming to start in the first half of 2026, by which time it will likely be highly anticipated on our lists of most-awaited films.