‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Star Ebon Moss-Bachrach Is Reportedly Stepping Into Tom Noonan’s Shoes in Michael Mann’s ‘Heat’ Sequel

Few sequels have spent as long in development as Michael Mann’s follow-up to ‘Heat’, and each new casting report feels like another piece of a long-running puzzle falling into place. The all-star lineup keeps growing, and this time the news involves one of the smallest but most memorable roles in the original film. Ebon Moss-Bachrach may be about to take on a part that a beloved character actor made his own.

The original ‘Heat‘ came out in 1995 and grossed $187.4 million on a $60 million budget, and it is considered one of the greatest heist films of all time. Mann’s sequel, ‘Heat 2’, is both a prequel and a sequel, taking place before and after the events of that film. It is based on the 2022 novel that Mann co-wrote with Meg Gardiner, which is partly set in South America and Southeast Asia.

Now TheWrap reports that Moss-Bachrach is in final talks to play Kelso, a character originated by the late Tom Noonan in the 1995 film. According to an insider, Guy Pearce was considered for the role before Mann and his team chose Moss-Bachrach. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment, so the casting isn’t official yet.

In the original film, Kelso was the eerie, soft-spoken information broker who hands McCauley the bank score. He appeared in only a couple of scenes, but Noonan left a mark. Noonan died in February 2026, according to MovieWeb, which makes the recasting a poignant one.

The role fits Moss-Bachrach’s skill set. A two-time Emmy winner for his work as Richie on ‘The Bear’, he has proven that he can do a lot with a glance and a pause, as one critic put it. He has also spent recent years building a resume that stretches from television to the Marvel universe.

Moss-Bachrach’s schedule is packed. ‘The Bear’ just wrapped its fifth and final season, and he plays Ben Grimm in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, a role he returns to in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ this Christmas and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ next year. He also recently appeared on Broadway in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ alongside Jon Bernthal.

That list would be enough for most actors, but Mann’s crime epic is the kind of project that draws every top-tier name. Filming is set to begin in November, with Mann returning to write and direct.

The film’s core lineup is already stacked. Leonardo DiCaprio will play Chris Shiherlis, the thief originally played by Val Kilmer, while Christian Bale plays LAPD detective Vincent Hanna, the role Al Pacino originated. Stephen Graham will take on Neil McCauley, the part made famous by Robert De Niro.

Odessa Young will play Charlene, originally played by Ashley Judd, and newcomer María Cid is in talks to play Gabi, a new character for the sequel. Earlier reports also had Adam Driver in talks to play the villain, Wardell.

The production has had a bumpy road. It moved through several studios before landing at Amazon MGM’s United Artists, after Warner Bros. dropped it when the budget hit $200 million. The current budget is reportedly around $170 million, including $40 million from a California tax incentive, with Jerry Bruckheimer producing alongside Mann.

Mann has said the movie will film in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay and possibly Singapore, reflecting the novel’s international reach. Insiders have described the action sequences as dwarfing those of the first film, which is saying something given that the original’s downtown shootout is so realistic that law enforcement agencies have used it in training.

Bale and DiCaprio will work together for the first time, echoing the way the original film brought together Pacino and De Niro. If the Kelso casting holds, it also shows how Mann is filling every corner of the ensemble with proven talent.

With production only weeks away, more announcements are likely, and Kelso may be one of many legacy characters to be recast.

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