Christian Bale has confirmed he will star in Michael Mann's upcoming thriller Heat 2, joking that he has “big, big shoes to fill” – referencing Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock's 2013 buddy cop comedy The Heat.
Speaking to Extra on the red carpet for Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride, Bale said: “Yeah, I'm doing it. My god, nobody better than Michael Mann at doing a crime drama. Very excited about it.” He added: “Big, big shoes to fill. You know, Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.”
The film is based on Mann's 2022 novel co-written with Meg Gardiner, which serves as both a prequel and sequel to the 1995 classic Heat starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Bale will appear alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, with much speculation about how the duo will portray younger versions of the original characters.
Production on Heat 2 is reportedly set to begin in August, with shoots planned in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Singapore and Paraguay. Mann has hinted he may use artificial intelligence for de-aging technology, noting: “Aging and de-aging may be very important in the next film.”
Adam Driver is rumoured to play a younger De Niro, while Austin Butler has been linked to the role of Chris Shiherlis, originally played by Val Kilmer. Al Pacino has expressed openness to reprising his role using de-aging techniques similar to those used in The Irishman.
