Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller Heat is best remembered for being the first film in which screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share a scene together. The two have since performed together a couple more times, most recently to critical acclaim in last year’s The Irishman. We’re thinking Mann must be a fan of that film’s de-aging technology because the writer/director now wants to make a Heat prequel.
For several years now, Mann has been working on a novel that will serve as a prequel to Heat, and now he’s decided that he would like to do a film version of the story, as well. In a recent interview with Deadline, Mann shared the following tease: “[My book’]s a stack about 10 inches high on my desk right now. We’re on it, and I’m putting time into that and a screenplay I can’t tell you about. But I absolutely want to make a movie of the Heat prequel.”
Notably, Mann doesn’t say who would be featured in the Heat prequel. The original film starred De Niro as master thief Neil McCauley, who’s out for one last big score, while Pacino played Lt. Hanna, the cop sworn to stop him at all costs. The movie featured masterful performances from both men as they navigate their way through a complex cat and mouse game, with each actor shouldering an equal load of the film. Since they were the two main draws for the movie, it would seem likely that Mann would want to bring them back for the prequel. But given the mixed reception that The Irishman‘s de-aging tech received, we’re not so sure if it would be the best idea.
In any case, there are no concrete plans for a Heat prequel movie as of yet, but it could be something we’re treated to in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, we’ll just be watching the diner scene from the original on repeat.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros.
