United Artists in talks to acquire Heat 2, with Mann directing

United Artists, the Amazon MGM Studios division, is in advanced talks to acquire Heat 2, the long-awaited sequel to Michael Mann's 1995 crime drama, providing the project with a new studio home after budget talks with its previous backer collapsed. Mann is attached to direct and wrote the screenplay adapted from the 2022 novel he coauthored with Meg Gardiner. Producers expected to be involved include Mann, Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt, with Eric Roth and Shane Salerno serving as executive producers. The studio has said it plans a theatrical release, and no cast deals have been finalized.

Heat 2, which Mann released as a novel that became a bestseller, expands the story of the original film across multiple timelines and locations. The narrative moves between an earlier era following Neil McCauley and his crew on heists and high-stakes scores and a later period tracking the aftermath of the original movie’s climactic robbery, including the trajectory of Chris Shiherlis. The book also introduces a central antagonist, Otis Wardell, and scenes set in locations including Chicago, Los Angeles and parts of South America.

The film stalled at Warner Bros after the...