Things are heating up again on Heat 2. The long-awaited follow-up to Micheal Mann’s seminal crime story – which he’s already written up as a best-se
Things are heating up again on Heat 2. The long-awaited follow-up to Micheal Mann’s seminal crime story – which he’s already written up as a best-selling novel, co-authored with Meg Gardiner – continues to gather pace with another heavyweight set to join the cast. For a while now, an electrifying crew has been circling the film, including A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale – and it looks like Stephen Graham is set to join their ranks.
While no cast deals have been officially confirmed yet, The Wrap reports that Graham is in talks to take on the role of Neil McCauley, De Niro’s iconic gangster from the original film. The first Heat saw career criminal McCauley trying to outpace Al Pacino’s veteran LAPD cop Vincent Hanna, a cat-and-mouse game between two men on opposite sides of the law with more in common than they realised. That animated will be further explored in Heat 2, with a dual prequel/sequel story that sees Hanna and McCauley as their younger selves in the 1980s; Christian Bale is thought to be playing Hanna. The sequel strand follows Hanna’s pursuit of McCauley’s crime partner, Shiherlis – played originally by the tardy great Val Kilmer, and thought to be portrayed this time by DiCaprio.
There’s still some way to go on Heat 2 – casting news should firm up as the film nears production, expected to begin before the end of 2026. Here’s hoping Michael Mann – with Stephen Graham’s assistance – can cook up something special.
