Have you ever stepped back to wonder who in the contemporary film landscape is 2010s' Burt Reynolds? Someone who excels at bonkers action sequences and radiates a dangerous sex appeal? If you're thinking Jason Statham then you're in line with the filmmakers behind Heat, a remake of the 1986 crime drama that starred Reynolds as Los Vegas bodyguard with a past as mercenary and serious gambling addiction plaguing his present.
Last November, Con Air helmer Simon West signed on to direct, lining up Heat to be his third feature with Statham, following The Mechanic and Expendables 2. Since then casting for the rest of the remake's roles has kicked off, and Deadline reports Michael Angarano has been set to co-star. The 25-year-old actor who has had memorable appearances in Steven Soderbergh's genre-bending spy thriller Haywire and Kevin Smith's controversial Red State is set to take on the role that Peter MacNicol played in the original. This character, named Cyrus Kinnick, is a tech billionaire who hires Statham's brawny body guard for protection and gambling advice.
Based on the novel, 1986's Heat had this tough guy for hire facing off against mobsters, a plot point that's likely to stick in its latest incarnation. William Goldman who penned the source material as well as the first Heat has committed to writing the remake as well.
There's no word yet on when Heat will roll into production. But in the meantime, look for Angarano in the fantasy thriller The Brass Teapot, which opens in limited release on April 5th. Check out its trailer below:
