Rarely are legacy sequels truly worth the wait,but when they are, it surely pays off.Mad Max: Fury Road,Blade Runner 2049, andTop Gun: Maverickhave become staples of modern cinema. Other franchises seem like a no-brainer—Indiana Jones,TheTerminator,The Matrix—and yet their sequels, more often than not, flop harder than we could’ve ever imagined. It’s hard to discern what films deserve a sequel so long after the original, and we’ve learned that IP notoriety and nostalgia aren’t enough to justify the revival of a long-dead property.
The ingredients of a successful legacy sequel are still up for debate. Some thrive on analyzing the nostalgia of the original in a new context,as seen in films likeTop GunandTron: Legacy, while others get too caught up in fan service, as seen in movies likeStar Wars: Rise of SkywalkerandStar Trek: Into Darkness. However, for those familiar with theHeat 2novel,Michael Mann’s upcoming crime thriller has the potential to be atruly great sequel, despite the many obstacles presented by the passage of time. The main question is,can Mannfaithfully adapt the noveland pull off a successful legacy sequel at the same time?
What Is the ‘Heat 2’ Novel About?
Heatis a classic crime thriller—the plot is relatively simple, but the film excels in its execution and masterful performances. By contrast,Heat 2will have tosub outAl PacinoandRobert De Nirofor fresh faces, and theplot is far more intricate. The novel acts as both a prequel and a sequel toHeat, jumping between the past and present, while the story follows the early days of the central characters, Detective Hanna (Pacino), Neil McCauley (De Niro), and Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and the events that formed them. The other storyline focuses on Hanna and Shiherlis in the aftermath ofHeat,while the Shiherlis are on the runafter their disastrous heist. His story focuses on survival and rebuilding his life after his criminal exploits led him down a dead end, and Hanna takes on a new string ofheists on an international scale, where his manhunt extends beyond international waters.
Heat 2finds itself in an incredibly unique position. Not only does it have to navigate the intricacies of being a legacy sequel constantly compared to the original,but it’s also adapting a novel.Michael Mann directedHeatfor television and then directed a feature film with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, but his obsession didn’t stop there. Mann conceived ofHeat 2as a film,then co-wrote a novelalongsideMeg Gardiner,and he is now bringing that novel to the big screen. So rarely does the original writer of the source material have complete control over the adaptation, and consideringMann co-wrote the bookwith the idea to adapt it into a film later, eventually,Heat 2could potentially be a masterful adaptation—Mann knows exactly what to cutand how to adjust the story for a different medium.
‘Heat 2’ Faces Challenges, but Other Legacy Sequels Provide the Template for Success
The best legacy sequels stem from a truly original idea and afocus on character.Evil Dead Risedoesn’t feature a grizzled Ash(Bruce Campbell) heroically saving the day; it homes in on a small, struggling family.T2 Trainspottingacted as a meditation on the original, showing the new challenges that characters encounter during the next stage of life.Evil Dead Rise honed in on a family and explored their trauma, whileAlien: Romulus,Doctor Sleep,Creed, and countless other hit legacy sequels all share one trait—they prioritize character above all else, embracing the new without relying on nostalgia bait.Heat 2hasthe potential to take things a step further.
In many ways,Heat 2is ameditation on the original, much likeT2 Trainspotting,as it shows the painfully honest ramifications of the often glorified yet destructive lifestyles of high-stakes criminals and obsessive, hard-boiled detectives. Heat’s plot is almost romantic, with the classic rivals on either side of the law risking everything for one final job.Heat 2deconstructs that romanticismand explores the nature of criminals and the people who hunt them. The novelincreases in scope and depth, but one major problem remains—the cast.
It’s unfortunate but honest to say that De Niro and Pacino haveaged out of their roles. We’ve seen the disastrous effects oftrying to de-age De Niro inThe Irishman, so his prequel character will require a fresh face. Pacino is in a similar situation, and with the passing ofVal Kilmer, recasting Shiherlis is a necessity.Heat’s cast features some of thegreatest actors of our time, which puts immense pressure on whichever actors step in to replace them. Nevertheless, prior legacy sequels prove it can be done.George Millerboldly recast Mad Max(Tom Hardy) in 2012, despiteMel Gibsonbecoming synonymous with the role. He later recast Furiosa (Charlize Theron) with similar success. The key is a focus on story; if an actor can portray the role and convey the themes of the story, all the comparisons quickly fade away. Al Pacino has already suggestedTimothée Chalametas the successor to his role, showing that the original team is open to having the roles recast.
It’s hard todetermine how faithfulHeat 2will be to the originalnovel. But Michael Mann is adapting his own material, meaning he knows exactly how to adapt it and what to change, sofans of the book can expect the film to remain faithful to the source material.In an era where filmmakers and studios constantly disregard the source material and original authors,Heat 2couldn’t be in safer hands.
