A star of Oppenheimer and the Terminator franchise is now being eyed for a role in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Heat 2. The actor would reunite with director Michael Mann if a deal closes on the highly anticipated sequel.
New report says Jason Clarke is in consideration for Heat 2 cast
Jason Clarke is being eyed to join the cast of Michael Mann’s Heat 2, Deadline reports.
Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists are backing the project. The role Clarke would play remains unclear at this stage. The project would reunite Clarke and Mann after they collaborated on Public Enemies. That 2009 Universal crime film starred Johnny Depp as gangster John Dillinger.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale are also rumored to be circling the sequel. However, sources say no cast deals are currently in place for the film. DiCaprio previously confirmed discussions are underway, but stressed the project stands on its own.
“This is very much its own movie. We’re still working on it, we’re a ways away from production,” DiCaprio said. He added that the sequel “tips its hat to Heat, but it’s an homage.” He also called the original “the great crime noir film of my lifetime.”
Mann will direct Heat 2 from his own script, adapted from his 2022 novel with Meg Gardiner. The book became a number one New York Times bestseller after its release. Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt will produce alongside Mann.
The story serves as both a prequel and a sequel to Mann’s 1995 crime thriller. It explores Vincent Hanna’s Chicago years and Neil McCauley’s earlier criminal life. It also follows Chris Shiherlis’s survival after the original film’s climactic bank robbery.
Clarke recently wrapped the thriller Ally Clark opposite Viola Davis for Amazon MGM. He is currently shooting A Quiet Place 3 for Paramount/Skydance and director John Krasinski. His other credits include Oppenheimer, Zero Dark Thirty, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
