Michael Mann Compares Modern U.S. Political Resistance to ‘South Park’
Director Michael Mann shared his thoughts on politics and his career while attending the Lumière Festival in Lyon, where he is being honored with a career tribute.
The festival has been showing 12 of his films, as well as his pilot for the Max series Tokyo Vice and his sports movie The Jericho Mile, which was filmed in Folsom Prison with real inmates as extras. Mann will receive a Lumière Award later this week from French actor Isabelle Huppert.
In an interview with Variety ahead of the festival, Mann talked about how the political unrest of the 1960s shaped his work. He said many of his films carry influences from that era, including Ali (1974) and the documentary Rumble in the Jungle.
Mann also drew a connection between the ’60s and today’s political climate in the U.S. “What’s going now is like the ’60s in America in a sense. Except that the vanguard and the resistance today is in ‘South Park,’” he joked, making the audience laugh.
He gave an update on the highly anticipated Heat 2, saying negotiations are underway and the project could move forward in the summer of 2026. According to Variety, Amazon MGM-owned United Artists and producer Scott Stuber are in talks to secure the rights from Warner Bros.
Mann also said he is interested in exploring new genres. “I’ve always wanted to do a significant science fiction film. I haven’t done it yet,” he said, mentioning his love for the French comic anthology Metal Hurlant, known in the U.S. as Heavy Metal. He recalled being inspired by the wave of science fiction films in the late ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.
Mann’s reflections at the Lumière Festival show how his early experiences continue to influence his work and how he is looking ahead to new creative challenges.
From my perspective, it’s interesting to see how Mann connects history with his films while staying open to new ideas like sci-fi. What do you think about his view on politics or his future projects? Share your thoughts in the comments.
