Christian Bale Teases Changes To Al Pacino's Classic 31-Year-Old Crime Thriller Role In New Heat Sequel
Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant’s Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.
Vincent Hanna will be a little different in Heat 2.
Originally played by Al Pacino in Michael Mann’s iconic crime thriller, Heat (1995), Christian Bale is set to take on the role in the director’s anticipated follow-up. Based on Mann and Meg Gardiner’s novel of the same name, Heat 2 is both a sequel and a prequel, following Hanna’s attempts to catch serial killer Otis Wardell in Chicago and Chris Shiherlis’ time working for a crime family in South America.
Filming on Heat 2 is expected to get underway early next year, and Bale, in an interview with AP Entertainment, has now provided a peek behind the curtain at how he is approaching playing Vincent. According to the star, audiences shouldn’t expect him to be doing an impression of Pacino, and he will instead be doing his own take on the character. Check out Bale’s comment below:
“I’ve got to make it my own, with all due respect. He’s absolutely brilliant in what he did and I’m watching it obsessively, of course, but I’ve got to figure out a way to do it to make it my own thing.”
“I’ve got to make it my own, with all due respect. He’s absolutely brilliant in what he did and I’m watching it obsessively, of course, but I’ve got to figure out a way to do it to make it my own thing.”
Bale is one of a number of actors now expected to feature in the Heat 2 cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio as Chris Shiherlis, Stephen Graham as Neil McCauley, Adam Driver as Otis Wardell, Odessa Young as Charlene Shiherlis, and Jason Clarke in an unknown role. In the original film, Robert De Niro played Neil, Val Kilmer played Chris, and Ashley Judd played Charlene.
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© Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection -
Image by INSTARimages.com -
Image via Instar Images -
Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages -
Odessa Young
Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages
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© Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection -
Image by INSTARimages.com -
Image via Instar Images -
Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages -
Odessa Young
Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages
Pacino’s performance in Heat has become a major reason for the film’s longevity. The actor goes big with his performance as the detective, and it was later revealed that Hanna’s yelling and manic line delivery in his relentless pursuit of Neil and his bank-robbing crew was in part shaped by a cut subplot involving the character’s cocaine habit. It remains to be seen whether Bale’s performance will also incorporate these elements.
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It also remains to be seen whether a recent incident involving Mann will affect Heat 2‘s planned production start. As reported by TMZ, Mann, 83, was hospitalized on October 31 after accidentally shooting himself in the leg at a gun range in LA. The filmmaker’s team released the following statement:
“On Saturday, at a gun range, a weapon accidentally discharged while holstered resulting in a superficial injury to film director Michael Mann. He was treated and is being released.”
</blockquote>“On Saturday, at a gun range, a weapon accidentally discharged while holstered resulting in a superficial injury to film director Michael Mann. He was treated and is being released.”
Heat 2 doesn’t yet have a release date, but if the Amazon MGM Studios movie does go to camera early next year, it could hit theaters at some point in 2028. For Bale, the film could mark his follow-up to Madden, which releases November 11. Bale’s recent films include The Bride! (2026), The Pale Blue Eye (2022), and Amsterdam (2022).
Many questions remain about Heat 2, but Pacino’s performance has become somewhat legendary, making the character a unique challenge for Bale. The Dark Knight actor continues to deliver his own memorable performances, however, and his approach to Hanna only makes the follow-up movie all the more exciting.
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Vincent Hanna
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Chris Shiherlis
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Neil McCauley
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Otis Wardell
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