Michael Mann talks about the Amazon Heat 2 deal, artificial intelligence, and US politics

Michael Mann spoke about his move from Warner Bros. to Amazon MGM Studio’s United Artist division with his long-in-the-making upcoming film Heat 2 at a press conference Saturday at the Lumiere Festival in Lyon, where he will be honored with an honorary Lumiere Award this year.

The director was asked if the deal with the steam giant could hurt the film’s theatrical release in the same way ferrari, Which surpassed cinemas in a number of major European regions such as France and Europe.

Mann said he expects that Heat 2 to Having a US theatrical run in 4,000 cinemas for at least 45 days, he added that he felt the streamer was entering a new era in terms of exposure and distribution.

“Amazon is in transition, that’s why they bought Association. They are in the transition phase of becoming more than just a streaming service. They have big ambitions, and I don’t want to speak for Amazon, a major character in the show, in theatre.

“The potential, because the film will be released in about two years from now, the potential for synergy within Amazon is huge,” he added.

He said moving to United Artists with Heat 2 The main reason for this was the high cost of producing the film, partly related to the fact that it was filmed in multiple regions.

“Heat 2 It’s…an expensive film, but I think it should be made at the right size and scale. Filming will take place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay, and possibly some areas in Singapore.

“It’s complicated. People make dramas with a certain level of budget… because of the costs; Heat 2 Maybe twice that. So, if it was at a very low price, I could have made it anywhere. But it’s complicated. “I can’t get into all this political stuff, but we’ve gone from Warner Brothers to Amazon and United Artists.”

Earlier in the conference, Mann was asked (by Deadline) about his opinion on AI and whether he has used the technology or plans to use it, given his reputation for being at the forefront of using new technological developments in his work throughout his career.

He said he has not used the technology yet but is considering using artificial intelligence Heat 2 To support the aging and de-aging process of the characters of Detective Vincent Hanna, Neil McCauley, and Chris Shihrlis, the film revisits their stories prior to the setting of the original 1995 film.

“I don’t experiment with technology unjustifiably. [If] “I have a dramatic need or an aesthetic need for it and then I delve into what I need,” he said. “For example, aging and de-aging will be very important in the film (Heat 2)” He said.

He was asked why he was keen to reconsider characters heatwhen he had not done any sequels in the past, Mann revealed that it was partly due to his deep connection with the characters.

“Characters heat So vivid to me that I know everything beyond the confines of the film. “I know what De Niro’s character was like when he was basically growing up nationwide when he was 11 years old, wearing mismatched clothes, being an outcast, which then made them aggressive and violent, which led to them being held in juvenile facilities,” the director said.

“I know everything about these characters. I always wanted to do more with these people, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it because one of them died at the end of Heat,” he said.

“Then I had an idea based on the relationship between the two deadly rivals, Hannah Pacino and Macaulay, played by De Niro, about how to do both things before the events of… heat “And after.”

Mann said Heat 2 It won’t deal with the events of 1995 in the original film but will begin just one day later, with only Hannah’s assistant Chris Sheehairlis, played by Val Kilmer, alive.

“Only Val Kilmer is alive, and he has to escape the United States and then seven years pass before that. It’s 1988. Hanna is a detective in Chicago, not Los Angeles… In 1988, they’re no longer the same people they were in 1995. It’s the events of 1988 that then turn them into 1995 characters.”

“For example, Macaulay, De Niro, who has this idea of ​​not being attached, of not having anything in your life that you can’t get out of in 30 seconds. In 1988, he had a wife, he had a daughter, he had a nuclear family that was very attached to him.”