Heat 2 Casting Rumour Debunked by Producer
A producer for Heat 2 has refuted rumours that actress Inde Navarrette was offered a role, confirming only a meeting took place.
A producer for the upcoming film Heat 2 has directly refuted recent casting rumours. Executive producer Shane Salerno stated that while actress Inde Navarrette met with director Michael Mann, she was never offered a part in the sequel.
Salerno's comments to TheWrap specifically counter a story claiming Navarrette, star of the horror film Obsession, turned down a role in Heat 2 for a Marvel project. "It's simply untrue," Salerno said, clarifying that with no offer made, there was no role to decline. What is confirmed is Navarrette's casting as Rogue in Marvel's upcoming X-Men reboot.
Confirmed Cast and New Talks
The core cast for Michael Mann's sequel is taking shape. Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, and Adam Driver are all attached to the project. According to TheWrap, DiCaprio will play thief Chris Shiherlis, a role originated by Val Kilmer in the 1995 original. Christian Bale will star as detective Vincent Hanna, previously played by Al Pacino.
Adam Driver is set to play the antagonist Wardell. Stephen Graham is reportedly cast as Neil McCauley, the bank robber character made famous by Robert De Niro. In other casting news, Deadline reports that Odessa Young is in talks to play Charlene Shiherlis, a role occupied by Ashley Judd in the first film.
Production Details and Budget
Filming on Heat 2 is expected to get underway in November of this year. The project has faced budgetary challenges, moving from Warner Bros. To being funded by Amazon MGM. TheWrap reports the film's budget is around $170 million.
Sources indicate the action set-pieces are planned to be much larger in scale than those in the original Heat. The film is based on a novel co-written by Mann and Meg Gardiner, featuring a sprawling narrative across multiple global locations and time periods.
Earlier Rumours and Speculation
Prior to Salerno's denial, speculation linked Inde Navarrette to two potential roles. One rumour suggested she was wanted for the part of Charlene Shiherlis. Another report from Nexus Point News claimed Mann's team was keen to involve her in a smaller role as a character named Gabriela, who is the daughter of another character named Elisa.
The character of Gabriela highlights the film's time-hopping story. In the source novel, she is eight years old in 1988 but is caught up with again in her twenties during the mid-1990s timeline. Eiza González has also been rumoured for the role of Elisa, the girlfriend of Neil McCauley.
With a November start date for filming, further official casting confirmations are anticipated in the coming months.
