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Stephen Graham has officially joined the cast of Michael Mann’s long-awaited sequel “Heat 2,” Variety can confirm.
If other reported deals close, the Emmy-winning “Adolescence” star and British acting icon would join
the Amazon MGM Studios feature alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Adam Driver, Jason Clarke and Odessa Young.
While roles haven’t been confirmed, Graham is rumoured to be playing a younger version of master thief Neil McCauley, famously portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1995 original. Meanwhile, Bale is reportedly lined up for the role of LAPD detective Vincent Hanna, played by Al Pacino, and DiCaprio is expected to play Val Kilmer’s character and McCauley’s right-hand man, Chris Shiherlis
Mann wrote the screenplay from his and Meg Gardiner’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel. The film will be released in theaters.
Producers on “Heat 2” include Mann, Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Jerry Bruckheimer, and UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt. Eric Roth and Shane Salerno will executive produce.
The original “Heat,” following McCauley chasing one last score while detective Hanna closed in, was written and directed by Mann and produced by Mann and Art Linson. From Warner Bros. and New Regency, the film went on to gross over $187 million — what would be close to the $400 million range if released today — at the worldwide box office and influence a generations of filmmakers.
The “Heat 2” book was published in 2022 and serves as both a sequel and prequel to the original, looking at both McCauley and Hanna’s early lives, alongside the story of Shiherlis after he survived the bank robbery climax.
“Heat 2” adds some further glitz to Graham’s already glittering resume. The actor, writer and producer — who was behind both Netflix’s smash hit “Adolescence” and the Disney+ series “A Thousand Blows” through his Matriarch Productions — is currently in Venice for the premiere of Florian Zeller’s “Bunker,” in which he stars alongside Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and will soon be seen in the Apple TV series “Nocturne,” out in October.
Graham is repped by Independent Talent, Link Entertainment and Public Eye Communications.
