Al Pacino thinks Timothée Chalamet should play his character in Heat 2
Michael Mann's hypothetical sequel—which currently exists in novel form—would dip into the past of Pacino's unstoppable cop Vincent Hanna
Forcing us to briefly, and unhappily, contemplate the idea of Timothée Chalamet staring straight into the camera and letting loose a hearty “She’s got a GREAT ASS!” before laying down some rules about who can or cannot watch his TV, Al Pacino has apparently given the young actor the nod vis a vis who he thinks should play a younger version of his character, detective Vincent Hanna, in a hypothetical Heat 2.
This image implanted in our heads courtesy of Deadline, which reported on Pacino’s answer as part of its coverage of a recent screening of the original Heat at the Tribeca Film Festival. Both Pacino and co-star Robert De Niro were in attendance at the event, which also saw director Michael Mann, absent due to a recent COVID diagnosis, offering up a message to fans in attendance. Per his pre-recorded message: “At the Broadway Deli in 1994, I told Art [Linson, also in attendance], let’s produce my screenplay and find a director, because maybe I wouldn’t direct it. He told me I was crazy—so this is all his fault.”
Mann has, of course, been trying to get more Heat made for years now, whether as a movie or a novel, including stories that would take place in the earlier lives of Hanna and his eventual rival, De Niro’s McCauley. The screening was designed at least in part to promote the release of Heat 2 in book form, with advance copies handed out to attendees.
When asked who he thought had that proper young-Pacino energy, the actor apparently answered with no hesitation: “Timothée Chalamet… He’s a wonderful actor.” (So far, Pacino and Chalamet haven’t collaborated on any projects, although it’s probably only a matter of time at this point.) Producer Linson, meanwhile, told stories about the film’s making, including incidents in which the studio clashed with Mann. “Michael endured a lot of anger [from studio executives] because of how dedicated he was to getting it right… You’re not welcome after that unless a movie works, and that one did.”