At long last, Michael Mann‘s “Heat 2” has a runway toward production, with the director eying a November start date. And what a grueling trip it’s been for Mann to reach the starting line. The sequel, the first in Mann’s filmography, jumped from Warner Bros. last September over budget disputes to Paramount/Sony briefly before finally landing at Amazon MGM Studios. Now the budget is set ($165 million), and so is the cast, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Adam Driver, Stephen Graham, and Jason Clarke all on board to star. That all sounds swell, but what’s Amazon MGM’s forecast for Mann’s next feature?
According to a new piece from TheWrap, even higher than one might imagine. In fact, the studio is so optimistic about “Heat 2″ that Mann’s sequel may not be the only one Amazon MGM bankrolls. “”Heat 2” could do for men of different ages what “Barbie” did for women,” a source close to Mann’s production told the outlet. “It won’t reach the same box office, but it could easily approach more than $500 million, which would make the film profitable theatrically and then a huge hit for Amazon on their platform.” And in the wake of Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey” surpassing box office expectations and trending toward a global take of over $1 billion? That $500 million prediction for “Heat 2” may be a little too mild.
In short, Amazon MGM envisions Mann’s next feature as an undisputed slam dunk, and that’s why a “Heat 3” may be in the cards, too. Another source close to the film told TheWrap that Mann already has plot details for a third film in mind, and the studio would love to expand the IP beyond just one sequel. No surprise there regarding the meticulous Mann, who knew the basics of “Heat 2” for years before putting them to page with co-writer Meg Gardiner for the 2022 novel. Still, franchise filmmaking isn’t exactly Mann’s forte, and the director, now 83, isn’t getting any younger. Maybe Amazon MGM should focus on getting one sequel made first before any further plans to monetize the IP that fell in their lap.
It doesn’t hurt to dream big, though, and with this cast and producing team (including Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt, as well as Eric Roth and Shane Salerno as exec producers), “Heat 2” could very well dwarf Amazon MGM’s wildest expectations. On paper, Mann’s next film looks like the crime epic to end all crime epics. Those who’ve read the novel know “Heat 2” is a globe-trotting thriller of massive scale, and production will take place in LA, Chicago, Paraguay, and Singapore. And the action sequences in the novel? Far larger than anything that happens in “Heat.” One only imagines what ideas Mann has in mind for “Heat 3,” should it come to fruition.
“Heat 2” needs to be shot first, however, and Mann & co. likely won’t wrap production on the film until next Spring. That means “Heat 2” won’t reach audiences until sometime in 2028, putting a potential third film at least three or four years away, when Mann is 87. In other words, let’s not get ahead of ourselves with talk about “Heat 3.” Mann may retire before then, and he’ll no doubt have reservations about passing off a story he’s worked on his entire career to another filmmaker. Another sequel, and the future of the “Heat” IP, hinges on how well “Heat 2” does in theaters, anyway.
Stay tuned for more news on “Heat 2,” particularly casting news, as it arrives.
