The build up and anticipation of seeing Al Pacino and Robert De Niro square off on the big screen together reached pandemonium levels in 1995. The duo were cast in the 1974 classic The Godfather: Part II, but would never be in the same scene as De Niro played an earlier version of Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone.
Then along came Michael Mann's crime thriller Heat. The Warner Brothers picture packed in an all star cast to include Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore and while it was a critical success, the death of De Niro's Neil McCauley appeared to have made the title a standalone movie. That was, until this week.
New Novel To Pre-Date Heat Events
According to Deadline, crime author Reed Farrel Coleman is in the middle of writing a new novel. And what is the story do tell? The book will take place prior to the timeline of Heat. Michael Mann's very own book imprint at William Morrow/HarperCollins will be publishing, but there is yet to be a title. Set in Los Angeles during the mid 1990s, the book would chronicle how the main protagonist and antagonist ended up in their predicament.
The narrative is believed to detail exactly how Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) came across Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), Michael Cherrito (Tom Sizemore) and Trejo (Danny Trejo) within the confines of Folsom Prison. Establishing a lethal and clinical crew that took down banks for fun, the story will also trace back to McCauley's mentor who taught him that he should walk away from anything he couldn't leave in 15 seconds if he spotted the "heat" coming around the corner.
New Pacino-De Niro To Be Cast
Following in the footsteps of any iconic actor is a hard task to master. Just ask Han Solo: A Star Wars Story pair Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover. But it will be quite something else to see who will take on Al Pacino and De Niro for the prequel.
Pacino's Lieutenant Vincent Hanna backstory is also of critical importance to the new book that will be adapted onto the big screen. Jon Voight's character Nate talked about some early cases Hanna worked on to McCauley where he would track down Frankie Yonder in Chicago.
Hardcore fans of the film will be eager to see how Mann can bring the classic tale back to life. With a new cast that could potentially be set in the 70s or 80s, the possibilities are there for another great crime thriller.
Source: Deadline
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