Michael Mann on ‘Ferrari,’ Writing ‘Heat 2’ and Making the Original: ‘I Could Not Figure Out How Val Kilmer Could Tolerate Being Val Kilmer’
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Legendary filmmaker Michael Mann is “worried about the future” of movies. But, he also declares, “Cinema is not dying.” A luminary auteur with a distinctive visual style and gripping storytelling, Mann calls this time following the end of the historic Hollywood strikes “a real watershed moment.”
“The companies are split in ways they haven’t been before between streamers and legacy studios,” he tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “Those interests don’t sometimes align. There isn’t a ‘Lew Wasserman’ figure now. There needs to be because this isn’t the end. These issues come up every time there’s a new modality. It always precipitates this.”
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On this episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Mann discusses the experience of making his latest film, the awards contender “Ferrari,” and how working with Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz compares to his other actors from past movies. That includes reflecting on his work with Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer in Mann’s 1995 classic “Heat,” and what we can expect from the upcoming sequel, which is set to shoot in 2024. Listen below.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
“Ferrari” tells the story of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), who in the summer of 1957 — following the death of his son and his deteriorating marriage with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) — enters his racing team into the notorious Mille Miglia.
Mann’s filmography boasts iconic films exploring crime and morality. Many feel “Heat” (1995) stands as a pinnacle of his work. There are others (like me) who look to the movie that brought him his sole career Oscar nom for best director, the taut and gripping thriller “The Insider” (1999). With decades in the Hollywood game, Mann has left an indelible mark on cinema, influencing countless filmmakers and captivating audiences worldwide. And he’s not done yet.
Mann says he has plans for “Heat 2” to shoot in 2024, and has been putting the final touches on the script that he calls both a “prequel and sequel.”
Reflecting on his time making the original “Heat,” which starred Val Kilmer, he smiles. “I could not figure out how Val Kilmer could tolerate being Val Kilmer,” he says. “In any scene, an actor and director do scene analysis. What is the action or what does this character want? Sometimes, it’s in the text; sometimes, it’s in the subtext. Val would have seven or eight different reactions and modalities, every one of which was great. I couldn’t imagine having such artistic range and depth — more than it’s possible to control.”
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.
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