Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale locked for Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’

Michael Mann has signed up Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale for the upcoming sequel of his iconic movie, Heat.

On Friday, July 3rd, The Wrap confirmed that the two infamous A-listers have been locked in the forthcoming film.

However, final negotiations remain, indicating that they will indeed be part of the movie.

In the newer update, it has been confirmed that Adam Driver is being sought for the sadistic villain, Otis Wardell, and Stephen Graham is in talks to play Neil McCauley (De Niro’s character).

Several actresses are vying for the role of Chris’ wife Sharlene, originated by Ashley Judd, while other A-list names are circling the project.

Christian spoke about casting the original movie’s heavyweights, Pacino and De Niro, during a recent interview with The Guardian.

Christian Mann speaks about the new film

“It was an automatic ‘it’s a fantastic idea. I mean, the two greatest actors of their generation! The intensity, the internal power that De Niro has and the exuberance, the ability for performance with which Al could imbue a character, because within the character of Hanna, there’s a certain burlesque he uses with informants to keep them off balance, because in real life all informants lie some of the time,” the critically acclaimed director noted.

He added, “So it’s a constant game to manage an informant, to keep him off balance, to get the information you want.”

Heat 2 budget

Notably, the original film, released in 1995, was based on his previous film, L.A. Takedown, which was released in 1989.

Reportedly, the film went on to make nearly $187.4 million on a budget of $60 million and is considered one of the greatest heist films of all time, known for its novelistic complexity and compelling characters.

Leonardo DiCaprio's last project

So far, Leonardo DiCaprio, who last appeared in the epic dark-comedy thriller One Battle After Another, which premiered in September last year, has not officially confirmed his presence in Christian Mann.