Michael Mann Teases Using AI for HEAT 2: “Aging and De-Aging May Be Very Important”
Legendary filmmaker Michael Mann is ready to push the boundaries of filmmaking once again, this time possibly tapping into AI technology for his long-awaited sequel, Heat 2.
During a recent masterclass where Mann received the Lumière Award from Isabelle Huppert, the director discussed his openness to artificial intelligence, especially in the context of bringing back his iconic characters.
While AI continues to divide Hollywood, Mann takes a pragmatic stance. “I don’t experiment with technology gratuitously,” he explained. “When I have a dramatic need or esthetic need for it, then I go deep into what I need.”
That need may come into play in Heat 2, which will see time shifts that take the story both before and after the events of the original 1995 crime classic. Mann confirmed, “Aging and de-aging may be very important in the next film.”
The sequel has been in development for years, with Mann recently confirming that production could begin next summer. The project has also found a new home, moving from Warner Bros. to Amazon MGM’s United Artists under producer Scott Stuber.
Mann described the move as a necessity for the film’s scale and scope: “Heat 2 is an expensive movie to make, but I believe it should be made at the proper size and scale. It’s going to shoot in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay, and possibly some parts in Singapore.”
He also reassured fans that this will be a full theatrical experience. “People make dramas at a certain budget level, because of the costs, not because of anybody being greedy. If it was at a lower price, I could have made it anywhere. But it’s complex.
“I can’t get into all the politics of it. But we moved from Warner Brothers to Amazon and United Artists, but it will be absolutely released theatrically, in the United States, probably in about 4,000 cinemas and for at least 45 days.”
As for what fans can expect from the story, Heat 2 will follow directly after the ending of the original, picking up “one day after the movie ends, only Val Kilmer’s alive, and he has to flee the United States.”
Mann revealed that the film will also dive into events before Heat, exploring what shaped its central characters. “The characters of Heat are so alive to me. Then, an idea occurred to me, based on the rapport between two lethal adversaries, Pacino’s Hannah and De Niro’s McCauley, about how to do both before the events of Heat and after.”
He added more details about their pasts, saying Hannah and McCauley were deeply changed by events in 1988 when Hannah was still a cop in Chicago and McCauley “had a wife, he has a stepdaughter, he has a nuclear family that he’s very attached to.”
Beyond Heat 2, Mann has his sights set on another major project, a Vietnam War film based on Mark Bowden’s book about the 1968 Battle of Hué. Mann described it as “a very human, a very powerful piece,” explaining, “I spent a lot of time and talked with a lot of survivors of that battle.”
Interestingly, he revealed that the book also inspired Al Pacino’s character in Heat: “Al Pacino’s history, that he was a Marine who was in the Battle of Hue in 1968 and that in 1988 he’s still suffering from PTSD.”
Mann compared the upcoming film’s storytelling approach to Rashōmon, saying it will explore multiple perspectives from both American and Vietnamese sides. He also mentioned he’ll be producing a Western titled Comanche, directed by Scott Cooper.
As a fan of Heat, I’m very excited to see how Heat 2, and if Mann delivers the way he always does, we might be in for something pretty awesome.
Source: Variety