Leonardo DiCaprio to Star? Michael Mann's Heat and Miami Vice to Get Sequel and Remake!
Michael Mann, a director renowned for his crime films, had a long hiatus after his 2015 release Blackhat, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tang Wei, and filmed in Hong Kong, until he directed an episode for the series Tokyo Vice in 2022 and the film Ferrari in 2023. Next up, two of his classic works, Heat and Miami Vice, are set to receive a sequel and a remake, respectively, with Mann personally set to direct the former.
Heat 2
Earlier this month, Deadline reported that Warner Bros. would not be producing Heat 2 due to cost issues, but United Artists, under Amazon MGM Studios, is reportedly in talks to finance the production. The film is adapted from the 2022 novel Heat 2, co-written by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner. Filming is tentatively scheduled to begin next year, with a release targeted for 2027. The report indicates that Academy Award Best Actor winner Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) is in early talk to play Chris Shiherlis. The character was played by Val Kilmer in the original film, but Kilmer passed away in April of this year. The Hollywood Reporter also reported that, in addition to DiCaprio, other actors reportedly being considered include Golden Globe winner Austin Butler (Elvis), Star Wars sequel trilogy lead Adam Driver, and Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born). Two years ago, Deadline exclusively reported that Adam Driver might be considered for the role of a younger Neil McCauley, the character played by Robert De Niro in the first film. The novel spans three timelines: 1988, 1995 (the time of the original film), and 2000. Mann recently revealed during the Lumière Film Festival that the movie will also use aging and deaging effects to make actors appear younger or older. The film is expected to shoot in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay, and Singapore, among other locations.
Released in 1995, Heat was written and directed by Michael Mann, adapted from his own TV movie L.A. Takedown. Starring Oscar winners Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer, the film follows master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), who is trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other's plans.
In Heat 2 the novel, one day after the end of Heat, Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) is holed up in Koreatown, wounded, half delirious, and desperately trying to escape LA. Hunting him is LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). Hours earlier, Hanna killed Shiherlis’s brother in arms Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) in a gunfight under the strobe lights at the foot of an LAX runway. Now Hanna’s determined to capture or kill Shiherlis, the last survivor of McCauley’s crew, before he ghosts out of the city.
In 1988, seven years earlier, McCauley, Shiherlis, and their highline crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the US-Mexican border, and now in Chicago. Driven, daring, they’re pulling in money and living vivid lives. And Chicago homicide detective Vincent Hanna—a man unreconciled with his history—is following his calling, the pursuit of armed and dangerous men into the dark and wild places, hunting an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.
Meanwhile, the fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative, driving through the years following Heat.
Miami Vice Remake
Deadline recently reported that Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Golden Globe winner Austin Butler (Elvis) are in early talks to star in the remake of Miami Vice, playing Ricardo Tubbs and James "Sonny" Crockett, respectively. The film will be directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, F1) and written by Eric Warren Singer (Top Gun: Maverick) and Emmy-winning Star Wars series Andor writer Dan Gilroy. It is set to explore the glamour and corruption of mid-1980s Miami. The movie is expected to begin filming next year and is slated for an August 2027 release.
The original Miami Vice TV series aired from 1984 to 1989, created by Anthony Yerkovich and executive produced by Michael Mann. In the series, Ricardo and Sonny were played by Philip Michael Thomas and Don Johnson, respectively (the latter winning a Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor for the role). Michael Mann adapted and directed a film version in 2006, starring Academy Award Best Actor winner Jamie Foxx (Ray) and two-time Golden Globe Best Actor winner Colin Farrell (In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin) as the leads. A case involving drug lords and murder in South Florida takes a personal turn for undercover detectives Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). Unorthodox Crockett gets involved romantically with the Chinese-Cuban wife of a trafficker of arms and drugs, while Tubbs deals with an assault on those he loves.
If you are interested in upcoming movies to be released in Canada, please visit the Movie Release Schedule page on this website!
Photo: IMDb
Source: Deadline、The Hollywood Reporter、Harper Collins、Deadline