Celebrated for his work on ‘Heat’ and ‘Ferrari,’ director Michael Mann has made clear his stance on superhero movies in the current film landscape. In a conversation with The Playlist’s The Discourse podcast, Mann revealed the reason for his personal disinterest in helming superhero projects.
Mann revealed that his approach to choosing projects is driven by his personal enthusiasm for the story:
“I only make films that I feel passionate about, and that placed me a little bit more on the frontier. That’s where I do my best work. I’d like to be a journeyman director, go from film to film to film, but I don’t think I’d be very good at it. It doesn’t get my blood running.”
He then explained that while he enjoys watching certain superhero movies, directing them does not go with his professional direction:
“On the other hand, I think that ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ for example, not necessarily this last one, but the two before, have really worked, and I love watching them. And the reason they work is because they have a really, really well-done story structure behind them. So it’s exciting in the sense of being able to expand into myth that way and to create myth. I think that’s a very exciting medium. Let’s not say something I wanna do. I do wanna do a science fiction project, but it’s not superheroes.”
Michael Mann’s Future Projects
Looking ahead, Mann revealed that his next venture will be ‘Heat 2,’ a sequel to his 1995 film ‘Heat.’ This announcement follows the release of a novel of the same name, co-written with Meg Gardiner, which explores the events occurring before and after the original film. Apparently, this project continues his way of selecting works that resonate with him on a deeper level.
His most recent project is ‘Ferrari,‘ starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. The film premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in August 2023. His collaboration with Driver in ‘Ferrari’ hints at potential future collaborations. On the possibility of working with Driver again, Mann said:
“Perhaps. We don’t talk about that yet. Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire on ‘Ferrari.’ We have the same work ethic – which is pretty intense. We like each other and we had a great time working together artistically.”
Mann’s recent directing work includes the first episode of the 2022 crime series ‘Tokyo Vice’ for HBO Max, marking his return since ‘Blackhat.’ According to his IMDb profile, he also has an upcoming biopic in development focusing on Tony Accardo and Sam Giancana.
