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Heat 2 is set to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale share the screen for the first time in their careers. Though they've come close to appearing in a couple of the same films before, the former Batman actor has revealed.
Bale recently confirmed his involvement in the follow-up to Fox 32 News while promoting his upcoming horror-romance The Bride. When GamesRadar+ asked him how excited he was to team up with the One Battle After Another star, he noted that the pair "did readings for stuff in the past", but it's just "never ended up" working out.
"So, yeah, that should be, should be something great," he continues.
Based on Michael Mann's 2022 novel of the same name, which acts as both a sequel and a prequel to his 1995 crime thriller, Heat 2 will presumably chart criminal Chris Shiherlis's (Val Kilmer's character in the original film) travels from LA to Southeast Asia, where he gets caught up with an international drug cartel. Other subplots in the book involve detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino's character) trying to track down a serial killer in 1988 Chicago – a case that almost brought him face-to-face with big-time bank robber Neil McCauley (Robert DeNiro's character) 7 years prior to the events of Heat.
As it stands, it's unclear who Bale (or DiCaprio) will be playing. Star Wars' Adam Driver, Elvis's Austin Butler, and Bradley Cooper have also been linked to the hotly anticipated flick. Filming is rumored to be kicking off in August.
Prior to that, Bale will be seen as Frankenstein's monster (AKA 'Frank') opposite Jessie Buckley's titular character in Maggie Gyllenhaal's punk-rock take on The Bride of Frankenstein. In the movie, Frank's obsessed with Ronnie Reed, a Fred Astaire-type played by Jake Gyllenhaal – and describes him as his only friend, which culminates in an awkward encounter in the film's final act.
Does Bale feel daunted at going toe-to-toe with Hollywood legend DiCaprio? "I always think it's better never to meet the people that you see on the screen, because, you know, they're human, right? They can't possibly live up to what you've imagined them to be," Bale smiles. "I'm very grateful when people talk to me, but I'm also chronically aware that I must be such a ridiculous disappointment.
"I never wanted to meet anybody. You know, even now, when I'm able to meet people, I go, 'No, no, it's what they do that I find engrossing. It's not them; I don't want to put that pressure on them. They're people who've lived lives... tough, complicated, etc. You know, that's none of my business. What my business is is what they choose to show the world through their art."
The Bride! releases on March 6, while Heat 2 is expected sometime in 2027. To keep track, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.
