Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller Heat – which saw legendary actors Robert de Niro and Al Pacino finally share the screen together – is considered a classic today. While we never got a sequel, there’s a good chance that we may actually now get a prequel instead.

Deadline are reporting that the writer/director has inked a deal to set up Michael Mann Books, which will “generate a series of novels with a stable of writers and the properties will simultaneously be developed for film and television.”

While Mann is looking to develop various new movie and TV show opportunities, it’s being reported that a prequel involving the principal characters of Heat is high on his priority list. We’re not exactly certain of a timeline yet but the novel would explore the earlier years of Lt. Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and Neil McCauley (de Niro), as well as Val Kilmer and Jon Voight’s characters.

Will it be a feature film or will it be a mini-series? We don’t have any other details yet but the thought of Michael Mann revisiting these characters is a very exciting prospect.

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