Heat 2 has recast Ashley Judd's character, and Michael Mann picked the replacement

Right, let’s get into the latest on Michael Mann, who’s not exactly famous for rushing things. For those who’ve been hanging on for news about Heat 2, the sequel to his stone-cold classic from 1995, there’s finally some actual movement on the casting front.

Reports have landed that Odessa Young is now set to take on the role of Charlene, originally played by Ashley Judd in the first film. You’ll remember Charlene as Chris Shiherlis’s wife – not the flashiest part in the original, but central enough that the recast will turn heads among Mann diehards.

Odessa Young has been picked by Michael Mann to play Charlene in Heat 2, stepping in where Ashley Judd left off.

What’s actually happening with Heat 2?

Michael Mann is deep in pre-production, which, knowing his attention to detail, could mean anything from paper shuffling to obsessively scouting out some random Los Angeles diner for six weeks. Still, this casting update signals that things are properly moving now – not just rumour, but someone actually with the job.

It’s a sequel with some serious baggage. The original Heat wasn’t just a crime film with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro – it’s the one every bloke seems to quote in the pub, and genuine film critics refer to as a gold standard for the genre. No word yet on whether Judd’s other half in the first film, played by Val Kilmer, will return (or even how closely the script is following Mann’s own Heat 2 novel), but Odessa Young’s casting gives a decent clue that familiar characters are being reimagined rather than simply written out.

The story is still developing, so don’t expect a full cast list or plot breakdown just yet.