EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Michael Mann has his Public Enemies star Christian Bale circling a major role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Heat 2 . Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists will start production next year on the second installment of Mann’s 1995 heist classic. Mann wrote the script based on the New York Times bestseller he authored with Meg Gardiner.

Amazon had no comment.

The film is being produced by Mann, Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, Nick Nesbitt and executive producers Shane Salerno and Eric Roth.

It was not immediately clear which role Bale will play, but the script has drawn strong interest from top talent. Bale and DiCaprio have each won Oscars, giving Mann a chance to match the high bar he set with the original, which had Robert De Niro, Al P

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