In August of 2022, Michael Mann, the famed four-time-Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat and other major motion pictures, released Heat 2, a follow-up novel co-written with author Meg Gardiner, that serves as both a prequel and a sequel to his 1995 movie. For Mann, it was his first novel (and the first under a multi-million dollar deal to create his own imprint and publish three books at William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, which was brokered by The Story Factory’s Shane Salerno). It was also an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and widely considered one of the year’s best books.
In the aftermath of the hugely successful book, Mann announced a prequel film was in the works, one that would go back and tell the stories of the characters who were famously portrayed by Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Ashley Judd, and Val Kilmer. According to Deadline, who was the first to announce today’s news, Mann will both write and direct the forthcoming movie, which is expected to re-cast younger actors to step into the roles of Neil McCauley, Lt. Vincent Hanna, Charlene Shiherlis, and Shiherlis.
In the meantime, on the literary side of things, Mann will again re-team with Gardiner for an “original novel that explores an intense global manhunt launched by a renegade federal agent and a stateless operator on a vendetta, in a highly authentic global arena.” The untitled book will be the first in a new series. More details are expected soon, but as of the time this article was written, no estimated publication date has been announced.
Readers chomping at the bit to get their hands on Mann’s latest collab with Gardiner might have to wait longer than they’d like, but the good news is that Gardiner has a new book coming out this summer that’ll help tide you over. Titled Shadowheart, Gardiner’s latest is the fourth in her UNSUB series, which first launched in 2017. The series stars Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix, a former Narcotics detective turned FBI profiler who makes a living chasing down serial killers. In her latest, the killing escalates quickly when two killers (“Goode” and “The Broken Heart Killer”) begin competing with one another in Tennessee. Caitlin, now facing the near-impossible odds of unraveling the identity of not one by two killers, goes on the hunt, knowing she’ll have to risk everything in order to bring a stop to the mayhem. Shadowheart comes out on June 18th and is currently available for pre-order everywhere books are sold.
We’ll have more coverage of Mann and Gardiner’s new series launch in the coming months, so be sure to check back for more updates soon.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, is also in bookstores, and his third book, OUT FOR BLOOD, comes out on June 4th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.