Michael Mann
‘I'm very open to the work of other filmmakers!’
Posted on 19.10.2025
You haven't directed any sequels to date. Why did you want to make a sequel to Heat?
The characters in Heat were extremely vivid in my mind. In terms of how I conceived their story, I knew everything about them, beyond the limits of the film, and I really wanted to build everything around that; I had lots of stories to tell about them. I even imagined the character played by Robert De Niro (Neil McMcauley) at 11 years old, about how he became violent, for example. I always wanted to do more with these characters, but at first, I didn't really know how to proceed.
Then an idea came to me: talk about the events both before and after the film. Heat 2 begins after 1995, one day after the end of the previous film. [SPOILER ALERT] Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) is the only important character who’s still alive and has to escape to the United States; so suddenly we find ourselves in 1988 Chicago and LA. We go back seven years, with the character of the cop, Vincent Hanna. And that's how we're going to do it, with back and forth jumps in time, to explore these characters in greater depth.
In 1988, the characters are not the same. For example, Vincent Hanna had a wife and stepdaughter in the first film, but then it changes... I'll be able to explore all that.
Regarding your film Ferrari (2024), why did you decide to focus on the dark side of the race car driver’s story?
I think I’m attracted to characters who have complex, violent contradictions. I’m fascinated by their lives, and also by Modena, Italy, where Enzo Ferrari and his family lived; it’s a unique place. Enzo Ferrari was fascinating because he was a genius in his field, but at the same time he was full of these violent tendencies inside. He had two families at the same time, plus a passion for driving and speed. I wanted to delve into that. I’m very good friends with his son, Piero Ferrari. When we started working on the film, he told me, ‘I have a suitcase that belonged to my father, and I've never opened it.’ So, he, Adam Driver and I opened the suitcase, and inside were Enzo Ferrari's diaries from the 1930s, which contained his entire life! For me, it was crucial to have access to this.
There’s something both melodramatic and ironic about Ferrari's life: he already had the same opinion about himself. He created unique objects of great beauty that were totally new in terms of automotive engineering. He kept a lot of poetry in his work, and that’s what makes him so interesting.
Car racing was an extremely dangerous sport at the time. Enzo Ferrari tried to keep his distance from his drivers, but he couldn't, and it’s terrible, because many drivers died while racing.
Michael Mann, Acceptance speech at the 2025 Lumière Award Ceremony
© Olivier Chassignole
You’re a director at the forefront of technology. Are you experimenting with AI and will you use it for Heat 2?
I don't have any experience with this tool yet, but I’ll probably use it in the future when I need new technologies, so why not? In my next film, there’ll be a lot of ageing, a technique that involves making actors look older or younger using digital effects. We need to find new ways of making art with new technologies.
There’s more and more talk about the representation of women in cinema. If you were to remake some of your films, would you include more women with more dialogue between them?
For me, the important thing is to focus first on what the film is about, and if there’s a real need to insert dialogue between women, then I'll add it. In Ferrari, the characters played by Penelope Cruz and Shailene Woodley interact a lot with each other. They don't meet, but there’s a very strong connection between them. The character played by Shailene Woodley is very committed, while Penelope Cruz's character is more traditional, but she’s a powerful woman. The two characters are very different, but I still made sure that they interacted with each other in the film.
In your work, do you incorporate the changes of how the United States is represented today compared to the 1960s?
Yes, of course, I take changes in society into account and integrate them into my work. Everything in my films evolves in line with developments in America, especially in terms of economic policy. For example, The Insider (1999) deals with changes in the economic climate.
...Have gangsters changed?
Yes. They're in Silicon Valley now, in the electronics industry (laughs)!
Do you have different technical expectations when you go to a cinema as a viewer?
Not necessarily. When I go to the movies, I'm like any other viewer - I try to find the best seat to enjoy the picture and sound, and I take in what the director wants to give me. I'm very open to the work of other filmmakers.
Is there any other director whose work has particularly impressed you from a technical point of view?
I'm thinking of Christopher Nolan; he’s completely obsessed with the success of every single shot and has an impressive level of control over his films. In France, I also like Alice Diop's work on Saint Omer (2022); what this filmmaker does fascinates me. I find it completely crazy.
Your films are known for their political nature. Yesterday, during the masterclass, you commented that there are now fewer street protests in the United States. In your opinion, does opposition still exist in your country?
In a way, yes. I'll take the example of the animated series South Park, which is significant in terms of what’s happening in the United States today. Paramount, which is in the hands of an institution very close to the government, has signed an agreement with the series' creators to acquire the worldwide broadcasting rights. They still signed a contract for a new season, and the first episode, which is an attack on Donald Trump's government, was broadcast, which I found incredible. Creating such a series is difficult, continuing it even more so.
Even though there’s also clearer opposition to politics in the United States, I think the world's biggest problems can be solved here in Europe; this area of the world can react.
Which film was the most challenging to make?
Ferrari was definitely the most difficult to put together because of the budget, but I still wanted to do it, and in the end platform Amazon Prime Video released it. Heat 2 is also a very expensive film to make, but I really hope to get it done. It’ll be shot in Chicago, LA, Paraguay and maybe Singapore too... This will mean changing studios. It's so hard to make a film these days. Despite everything, I really want the movie to have a theatrical release, not be released on a streaming platform. It’ll most certainly be the case in the United States, shown across at least 4,000 theatres for at least 45 days (the average runtime of a film today).
Also, Amazon Prime Video is in transition: they really want to become a film studio. That's why they bought the rights to James Bond, for example. So we'll see how it goes, because in any case, Heat 2 won't be released for another two years. We're still in negotiations, but if all goes well, filming should start next summer!
Is there a work of fiction that’s had a particular impact on you, and if so, would you be interested in adapting it for film or television?
After Heat 2, I’d like to make a war film that’s set in Vietnam during the war in 1968, with varying perspectives, including those of the Americans and the Vietnamese, somewhat in the style of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950). The character of Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) in Heat, a former marine suffering from PTSD, was already deeply affected by the war. It's a subject that interests me a lot. I'd also like to explore the science-fiction genre, particularly from the 1970s and 1980s. I'm also about to produce a western, which will be directed by Scott Cooper.
Fanny Bellocq
