For the Somewhat Inevitable But Still Crazy files, Deadline have learned Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner’s Heat 2 will fulfill its cinematic ambitions: Warner Bros. are courting Mann to adapt the sprawling novel as a sequel to his 1995 masterpiece. And per recent rumors it could mark a Ferrari reunion: Mann and Adam Driver have discussed him taking the Neil McCauley role (made famous by Robert De Niro) for its prequel sections, which in the novel concerned his days running operations in Chicago, staging a major heist in Mexico, and suffering personal tragedy. (It’s all very cosmic and Godfather II-like.)
That is the extent of solid news, though rumors pegging Driver have also suggested a few more key players: a returning Pacino for its sequel stretch, Austin Butler filling the Val Kilmer role therein, and Ana de Armas for an undisclosed part (though the book leaves room to guess). Crazy news any which way you can grab solid info, and on the basis of Mann and Gardiner’s wildly entertaining novel––overburdened, overplotted, heavy-handed, ridiculous, in short Heat––perhaps not the worst idea, which isn’t to say it’s a good one either. But more Mann is more Mann, and while we’ve talked to closely involved parties who indicate Ferrari will be worth the wait, we don’t want to add eight years for the next one.