In June 2019 we learned that the inexhaustible Michael Mann, who at 78 continues to be one of the freshest voices in the North American industry, had ‘Heat 2’ ready for candy; the continuation in novel form of his fantastic feature film released in 1995 which, as he commented on the ‘One Heat Minute’ podcast, should have been released in 2020 under the Harper Collins label.
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Finally, the thing has ended up being delayed more than expected —in fact, many already gave it up for lost—, but at last we can confirm that ‘Heat 2’ —on the cover of which the dates 1989-2002 appear—, co-written by the Mann and Edgar Meg Gardiner winner, will finally be released on August 9, 2022.
As far as content is concerned, ‘Heat 2’ is described as “a prequel and sequel to the renowned and acclaimed film of the same name covering the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) and Nate—Jon Voight—”.
His synopsis pray the following:
“This new story leads up to the events of the film and then goes beyond, introducing new characters on both sides of the law, new heists and extraordinarily cinematic action sequences. From the streets of Los Angeles to the sanctuary of the unions From rival Taiwanese crime fighters in Paraguay to a gigantic drug cartel money laundering operation right on the Mexican border, ‘Heat 2’ shows the dangerous workings of international criminal organizations and the agents who hunt them down as they offers a portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. On an operatic scale, ‘Heat 2’ is riveting, poignant and tragic. A masterpiece of crime fiction from one of American cinema’s most innovative and influential filmmakers.”
Surely this is an ideal moment to dust off the Blu-Ray of the original ‘Heat’ —or watch it on Netflix or Amazon Prime— to whet your appetite, without forgetting that Mr. Mann intends to shoot an adaptation of this literary prequel-sequel.