Director Michael Mann was recently a guest on the Rewatchables podcast and he came ready to talk about his heist film classic, Heat. During the chat, Mann revealed his plans for future Heat stories, including a spin-off novel, and dispelled many rumors associated with the film.
During the chat, the director shut down casting rumors regarding the film. For instance, there has been talk that Keanu Reeves was in line to play Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis character and that Michael Madsen was originally cast. Apparently, that was not the case but the director does say he doesn’t regret not putting veteran actor James Caan in the film but he did express that he wished he did work with the actor again after they collaborated on 1981’s Thief.
Mann also reveals that it was a “very tough choice” not to cast Kate Winslet in the film. The actress auditioned for the role that ultimately went to Natalie Portman as Al Pacino’s daughter. In the end, Portman was more age-appropriate for the role as she was 14 at the time and Winslet was 20.
It was also unveiled that Al Pacino’s Lieutenant Vincent Hanna character was originally written to have a cocaine addiction in earlier versions of the script. This was eventually taken out but the Rewatchable hosts thought this character tidbit could explain some of Pacino’s “unique: character choices. Mann does confirm that the cocaine subplot was eliminated from the final cut of the film and he went on to discuss that he knows every single bit about the backstories of the characters from the film:
“I have a complete biography of Vincent Hanna, from when he grew up in Illinois, who his father was, driving trucks for some rural Illinois bootleggers, and how he wanted to flee for something else and it was either go to some lousy local college, but instead he joins the Marines and winds up [part of]Tet Offensive in Vietnam and then what he sees there and his desire to go to law school… then he joins the Chicago police department. What he really wants in his life is discovering a pursuit. I’m not who you want Justine, all I am is who I’m going after.”
Mann further revealed that backstories for Val Kilmer’s Chris and Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley would be explored in a Heat prequel and sequel novel that he has been working on for years. Mann said, “It’s so vivid, worked out and thorough that compelled us…we’ve written a novel. Not on Heat, but everything preceding Heat and everything following Heat and it’s because these characters are so vivid. It’ll be coming out next summer.”
Are YOU interested in the Heat prequel and sequel novel?