The Rewatchables podcast is no stranger to talking about Michael Mann‘s iconic crime film, “Heat.” In fact, they’ve already talked about it twice. However, for the third round, dubbed “ThreeHeat,” the hosts actually have Mann himself on to discuss his landmark film and the filmmaker’s plans for future “Heat” stories.
During the discussion, there isn’t a lot of news about the 1995 film, and Mann shuts down pretty much every one of the casting rumors, including the talk of Keanu Reeves as Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis character and Michael Madsen originally being cast. About the closest Mann comes to revealing anything is when he’s asked if he regrets not putting James Caan in “Heat,” and the answer is “not really,” with a pause. That said, Mann does talk about his regrets of never working with him again after they collaborated on 1981’s “Thief.”
READ MORE: ‘Heat’: Michael Mann’s Symphonic Drama & The Tragedy Of Masculinity
There is one casual aside that Mann throws out not on their rumor list. Kate Winslet auditioned for the role that Natalie Portman got in “Heat,” as Al Pacino’s daughter (Portman was 14 at the time, Winslet would have been 20 in 1995). “That was a very tough choice,” he said.
Another interesting aside, that’s part of the legend for those that know the creation of “Heat” super well, Al Pacino’s Lieutenant Vincent Hanna character had a cocaine addiction in the earlier versions of the movie, but that was eventually taken out (though the Rewatchables hosts seem to suggest this is maybe why Pacino is kind of overacting or may explain his, shall we say, very animated choices).
While the cocaine sub-plot wasn’t in the finished film, Mann explained knowing every little bit about the backstories of his “Heat” characters.
“I have a complete biography of Vincent Hanna, from when he grew up in Illinois, who his father was, driving trucks for some rural Illinois bootleggers, and how he wanted to flee for something else and it was either go to some lousy local college, but instead he joins the Marines and winds up [part of]Tet Offensive in Vietnam,” Mann explained. “And then what he sees there and his desire to go to law school… then he joins the Chicago police department.”
“What he really wants in his life is discovering a pursuit,” Mann added, about discovering his committed drive in life and how it connects to a line in the “Heat” movie here Pacino says to his wife, “I’m not who you want Justine, all I am is who I’m going after.”
Mann explained details about Val Kilmer’s Chris, and Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley character and said all of that backstory is going into the “Heat” prequel and sequel he’s been talking up for years. “It’s so vivid, worked out and thorough that compelled us… we’ve written a novel,” Mann said. “Not on ‘Heat,’ but everything preceding ‘Heat’ and everything following ‘Heat’ and it’s because these characters are so vivid. It’ll be coming out next summer.”
It’s a fascinating conversation and you should listen to the full Rewatchables conversation below: