‘Heat’ Novel From Director Michael Mann Due Out Next Year
Three years ago, word came thatMichael Mannwould be returning to the world ofHeatwith a prequel novel. But after the initial announcement, no additional info arose, and you’d be forgiven for forgetting the project was even happening. Now, Mann himself has provided an update, stating that aHeatnovel is definitely still in the works, and will be published next year.
Episode 162 of One Heat Minute special guest is Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times Bestselling author with whom I am co-writing a novel with the characters of Heat to be published by Harper Collins next year#oneheatminute#heatmovie#michaelmann#michaelmannbookspic.twitter.com/qAHdyd85ca
— Michael Mann (@michaelmann)August 14, 2025
While giving a shout-out to the fantasticHeat-centric podcastOne Heat Minute, director Michael Mann casually reminded us all that he’s working on aHeat-related novel. As Mann says, he’s working on the novel, which will feature characters fromHeat, with authorReed Farrel Coleman, and the book will be published by Harper Collins next year.
Mann doesn’t specify what the book is about, but there’s a very good chance it’s the long-awaited prequel novel that’s been brewing for a few years. In 2016, Mann signed a deal to launch the imprint Michael Mann Books. At the time the deal wasannounced, word arose of aHeatprequel novel which would focus on the “formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), Chris Shihirles (Val Kilmer), McCauley’s accomplice Nate (Jon Voight), and other characters” from the 1995 crime epic.Heatwasn’t the first time Mann told the story of Al Pacino’s Vincent Hanna. His 1989 TV movieL.A. Takedown, which started its life as a TV pilot that never got picked up, was essentially a trial-run forHeat, with Scott Plank playing Hanna.
In 2017, theHeatprequel novel came up again, when it was announced Mann had finished his long, ardious search for a co-writer on the book by selecting Coleman. The Coleman news came accompanied with theclaimthat the book would be out in 2018. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But now it looks like theHeatnovel will finally see the light of day.
I’m all-in on this idea. While aHeatprequel movie, with younger actors playing the parts made famous by Pacino and De Niro, would probably be a terrible idea, bringing them back in a novel can work. The only qualm here is that Pacino and De Niro’s characters didn’t meet until the events ofHeat, which means they would likely never cross paths in the prequel book. Unless they both end up with amnesia. What a twist! I’ve reached out to Harper Collins to see if they could provide additional info about theHeatnovel, and will update accordingly if I hear anything new.
