'Heat': Michael Mann Wants To Make His Prequel Novel Into A Film, As Well As Make A Sequel

A little under a year ago, Michael Mann teased the release of his upcoming novel that will serve as a prequel to the acclaimed crime thriller, “Heat.” Without even knowing anything about the plot, fans of the film were ecstatic at the idea of Mann returning to the world of “Heat” one more time. Well, won’t those fans be excited to know that Mann also has dreams of making a film based on that novel, as well as a potential sequel.

READ MORE: Michael Mann Discusses His Crime Epic ‘Heat’ In Final Episode Of ‘One Heat Minute’ Podcast

Speaking to Deadline, Mann updated progress on the “Heat” novel and revealed, “We’re on it, and I’m putting time into that and a screenplay I can’t tell you about. But I absolutely want to make a movie of the ‘Heat’ prequel, and a sequel.”

A “Heat” prequel and sequel? Yes, please!

As for how Mann is spending his time in lockdown, as he awaits news on when he can resume filming the pilot episode of his upcoming HBO series, “Tokyo Vice,” the filmmaker wrote a piece for Vulture where he explained the books, films, and TV series he’s been watching during this unprecedented time.

READ MORE: Joe Russo Says He’s Forever Chasing ‘Heat’ & The “Visceral Experience” That Film Gave Him In Theaters

“I also started getting serious about going back and looking at some great films, like ‘That Obscure Object of Desire’ and ‘The Phantom of Liberty’ by [Luis] Buñuel, and ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour,’ by [Alain] Resnais,” said the filmmaker. “And ‘Asphalt Jungle’ by John Huston and ‘Out of the Past’ by Jacques Tourneur. When was the last time you saw ‘Asphalt Jungle?’ I have seen it about three times. It’s fantastic. It doesn’t .”

He continued, “Also watched the insanely great episode five of season three of Amy Sherman Palladino’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ with the spectacular Cuban night musical club sequence — one of the best in cinema. I watched ‘Fauda,’ and all of ‘My Brilliant Friend,’ the best series on TV, down to the background color of the end credits and Max Richter’s score. I also binged Jason Bateman and Andrew Bernstein’sOzark.’”

READ MORE: Filmmaker Michael Mann Raves About ‘Joker,’ Calling It “Brilliant” & “Authentic”

Obviously, on the TV side of things, plenty of people are binging “Ozark.” But if you need a recommendation, definitely listen to Mann about “My Brilliant Friend.” It’s one of the most underseen prestige dramas on TV today.

“Tokyo Vice” will eventually get back up and running, and we’re sure it’ll be great. But how exciting is the prospect of a “Heat” prequel and sequel? It sounds almost too good to be true. And given the fact that studios are being a bit more stingy with budgets on adult dramas, maybe they are too good to be true. But damn it, we have hope!