Christian Bale has confirmed he will be joining the cast of Heat 2, the sequel to Michael Mann’s crime classic.
Released in 1995, Heat starred Al Pacino as a detective in pursuit of a major criminal (Robert De Niro), with both men’s devotion to their worlds mirroring each other. It is considered one of the great movies of the ‘90s, and a classic of the crime thriller genre.
A sequel to the movie has been discussed for years, but in recent months has moved ahead with some of the biggest names in Hollywood attached.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Driver have been attached to the project for some time, and now it appears he will be joined by fellow Oscar winner Bale. Interviewer Jake Hamilton of Fox32 News in Chicago, posted on social media “Christian Bale just told me: I’ll be back in Chicago soon for HEAT 2!”
Christian Bale just told me:
“I’ll be back in Chicago soon for HEAT 2!”@fox32news pic.twitter.com/57Rvn1L5Tk
— Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) February 24, 2026
Bale is currently promoting The Bride!, a new take on the Frankenstein story co-starring Jessie Buckley. He is also starring in a new film based on the life of former NFL coach John Madden, who is being played by Nicolas Cage.
Little has been officially confirmed about Heat 2, although Michael Mann shared a shooting update late September. “I look forward to possibly shooting it in 2026,” he told Variety. “We’re in the middle of doing all the things — budgeting, scheduling, casting process.”
Elsewhere, a new adaptation of one of Bale’s earliest hits is in development, but looks to be struggling to cast a lead. American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis said recently that numerous “high profile actors” have turned down playing Patrick Bateman in a new movie version of his novel, a role that shot Bale to stardom in 2000. “I think maybe because they don’t want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale” the writer mused.
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