By The pieces are starting to fall into place for Michael Mann’s Heat 2. Although the male cast has mostly been firmed up, several of the key female roles were up for grabs, with actresses like Inde Navarrette and others reportedly vying for them. Now, probably the biggest female part has been cast, with Deadline reporting that Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere star Odessa Young has landed the role of Charlene, wife of Chris Shiherlis, who is set to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Charlene was played by Ashley Judd in Mann’s original 1995 film.
In the Heat 2 novel, Charlene is present in all three timelines depicted, with the book (and presumably the film) set in 1988, 1995 (in the immediate aftermath of the original film), and 2000. The novel depicts Shiherlis and Charlene’s meeting in Vegas circa 1988, prior to a score with Neil McCauley (to be played by Stephen Graham — taking over for Robert De Niro), the aftermath of the first film’s events, when Charlene is investigated by Vincent Hanna (Christian Bale — taking over for Al Pacino), and then in 2000, when Shiherlis re-emerges in her life.
Additionally, it seems that María Cid is set to play Gabi, the daughter of McCauley’s former flame, Elisa — who has yet to be cast. She becomes a major figure in the 2000-set chunk of the book, with her having a violent encounter with the film’s major villain, Wardell, to be played by Adam Driver. Several key roles have yet to be cast, including Shiherlis’ major love interest in the film, Ana, the daughter of a Taiwanese-Paraguayan crime lord who employs Chris as muscle when he’s on the run. Other returning characters yet to be cast include Michael Cheritto, who was played by Tom Sizemore in the original, Jon Voight’s Nate (although my hunch is this is the role the recently cast Jason Clarke will play), and Mykelti Williamson’s Drucker.
No news yet on when exactly we should expect to see Heat 2, but the film will start shooting in November, with a 2028 release date likely.
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