Filming For 'Heat 2' Is Postponed Until January 2027

In an interview on NBC's Today Show, Stephen Graham revealed that filming for Heat 2 has been postponed and is now scheduled to begin in January. He was on the show primarily to promote Nocturne, a new thriller series in which he plays a convicted serial killer, but ended up also talking about Michael Mann's project.

The postponement represents yet another setback in the schedule of a film that has already had several date changes. When Graham's casting was confirmed in September, production was scheduled for November.

Before that, the goal was even further away: Mann had told The Guardian in December 2025 that he intended to start in August. Graham himself, in an interview with a British radio at the end of September, he even stated that he would travel the following day for the recordings.

Heat 2 functions as a sequel that also revisits the past, with Leonardo DiCaprio taking on the role that was Val Kilmer's and Christian Bale playing Al Pacino's character. Graham plays Robert De Niro's Neil McCauley in the earlier timeline. The cast also includes Adam Driver, Jason Clarke, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Odessa Young.

Mann adapted the screenplay from his 2022 novel of the same name, co-written with Meg Gardiner, and is producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt. The Amazon MGM film will shoot in Los Angeles, Chicago, Paraguay, and Singapore, and the delay may be related to scheduling conflicts among the actors.

The first Heat, from 1995, follows thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) as he plans one last heist and LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) closes in. Mann wrote, directed, and produced alongside Art Linson. The film grossed over $187 million at the worldwide box office – the equivalent of about $400 million today – and influenced generations of filmmakers.

There is still no release date set for the sequel, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, in theaters.