Michael Mann launches book publishing imprint, developing prequel to his seminal crime thriller Heat

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Deadline Hollywood reports that filmmaker Michael Mann has made a deal to launch Michael Mann Books. According to the report, the imprint will develop a series of novels with a stable of writers and the properties will simultaneously be developed for film and television. Mann will also look through his own projects for ideas and high on the priority list is a prequel novel centering on the principal characters of Heat, Mann’s seminal crime thriller. The Heat prequel novel will cover the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (played by Al Pacino in the 1995 film), Neil McCauley (played by Robert De Niro), Chris Shihirles (played by Val Kilmer), McCauley’s accomplice Nate (played by Jon Voight), along with other characters from the 1995 film. Mann based the original Heat on stories from actual criminals and cops.

Conversations with publishers are expected to begin shortly.