Austin Butler Impresses in Viral Gun Training Video and Fans Think He's Been Cast in HEAT 2
A video of Austin Butler is making the rounds on social media that features the actor doing some pretty intense gun training, and it’s actually pretty impressive to see him in action! With the video comes rumors and speculation that the actor has been cast in Michael Mann’s Heat 2.
Butler is rumored to be playing a young version of Chris Shiherlis, a role previously played by Val Kilmer in the original movie. None of this has been confirmed, but I can certainly see it! Shiherlis is the right-hand man of career thief Neil McCauley, who was played by Robert De Niro. Adam Driver is reportedly taking on that role in the film.
Check out the video below:
One fan said on X, "Just hit me with that Austin Butler Heat 2 announcement already PLEASE." Another wrote, "I can't think of much right now that would make me happier than confirmation than Austin playing Chris in Heat 2!"
The sequel will tell the story of what led up to the events in the first film, which is set in 1989, and what happened after, which is set in 2002. It covers “the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer), and Nate (Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film."
This new story "leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, Heat 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, Heat 2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic—a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.”
It’s explained that the book jumps between two time periods, “the first following Chris Shiherlis as he tries to evade the LAPD and Detective Vincent Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia. The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988 when McCauley, Shiherlis and their high-line crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.-Mexico border, and in Chicago. At the same time, Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago police department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders. The fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative.”
Do you think Bulter would be a good choice to take on the role of Neil McCauley?