Adolescence star Stephen Graham is in talks for a role in the upcoming sequel to '90s crime classic Heat. A follow-up to the 1995 film has been in development for the past few years after the release of the novel Heat 2 in 2022.
According to The Wrap, Graham will take on the role of Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro in the original film.
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Reportedly taking over from Al Pacino and Val Kilmer in the lead roles are Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio. Bale is said to play Pacino's LAPD Robbery Homicide detective Vincent Hanna, while DiCaprio will apparently play Kilmer's Chris Shiherlis.
However, The Wrap couldn't confirm if Bale and DiCaprio have closed their deals. While two individuals said the deals are already closed, two others noted that the deals are in "final negotiations but expected to close".
Heat 2 will be written and directed by Michael Mann, who helmed the first film and wrote the novel alongside Meg Gardiner. The new movie will serve as both a prequel and a sequel to Heat, taking place both before and after the events of the film.
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Adam Driver is said to be in "deep negotiations" to play villain Wardell, with A-list actresses reportedly vying for the role of Sharlene, originated by Ashley Judd.
An insider told The Wrap that Heat 2 is set to be an "extraordinary" project, describing it as "Spartacus with machine guns" and "John Wick times 1,000".
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Shooting on Heat 2 will reportedly begin in November and take place across multiple continents. Amazon MGM Studios is producing the film, having picked up the rights when Warner Bros disagreed with Mann over budget.
Jerry Bruckheimer and United Artists's Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt are on board as producers alongside executive producers Shane Salerno and Eric Roth.
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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.
You can read more of her work on her Substack page.
