Heat 2’s Filming Start Date Confirmed By Director Michael Mann
Director Michael Mann has confirmed the planned start date for production on the long-awaited Heat 2. While details are thin on the ground about the sequel to his 1995 crime drama, the cast is rumored to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Austin Butler, Adam Driver, Ana de Armas, and returning star Al Pacino.
The upcoming Heat 2 has already had a circuitous journey to the screen. It was originally planned for a 2025 debut, but production was delayed amid budget negotiations stalling with Warner Bros., which eventually left the project. It is now set up at United Artists with a $150 million budget. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer followed that news by hinting that they were planning to kick off principal photography in August 2026.
Per The Guardian, this production timeline (which is being set up with an eye on a 2027 release) was clarified even further by Michael Mann himself. While he told the publication that “no picture happens until it’s happening,” he confirmed that “right now we’re looking to start August 3.“
So far, he hasn’t confirmed any other behind-the-scenes details about the movie, which will be based on the 2022 novel of the same name that Mann penned with Meg Gardiner. However, presuming no more Heat 2 obstacles arise, this production timeline could offer some insight into when the movie may arrive in theaters.
The precedent set by the original Heat is a turnaround of less than a year. The movie went into production on February 21, 1995, wrapping 107 days later on June 8, ahead of the movie’s release on December 15.
This does not necessarily mean that the sequel will debut 10 months after production kicks off, because the fact that the story is both a prequel and a sequel could necessitate the use of CGI to augment the aging and de-aging makeup, which could extend the post-production process.
On average, the turnaround time for Mann’s most recent movies is roughly 17 months. Therefore, if Heat 2 operates on a similar timeline and indeed kicks off production on August 3, it could potentially hit theaters as early as January 2028, just barely missing its planned 2027 release window.
