Michael Mann Regency Clash Over Heat Rights Lands in Court
New Regency sued director Michael Mann in federal court on November 14, 2026, asking a judge to void three notices he filed to reclaim the original Heat screenplay. Mann's team vows to fight and says the dispute does not affect Heat 2, which starts shooting January 19.
New Regency sued director Michael Mann in federal court on Saturday, November 14, 2026, asking a judge to declare three copyright termination notices he filed over the original Heat screenplay "defective and invalid." The Michael Mann Regency clash puts ownership of the 1995 crime film at stake.
Mann has made several attempts this year to reclaim the screenplay under copyright termination. The company, run by Yariv Milchan, argues that his writing of the script was a "work for hire," so the notices carry no force.
What New Regency says
"Regency still holds the rights to the Heat Screenplay," the company said in the filing. It added that, because of those rights, it "owns the film, television, and other rights in the Heat film."
The 20-page complaint says the notices would strip Regency of rights it has held for more than three decades, beginning in 2028. That would cloud its title to the script and jeopardize its ability to "develop, finance, and license" works derived from it.
The complaint also says certain provisions in agreements that Mann and Regency each signed with Amazon for Heat 2 depend on how the case ends.
Mann's response
A spokesman for Mann responded late Friday. He said the filing concerns original, personal writing Mann did on multiple screenplays during the 1980s, which evolved into the film he wrote, produced and directed.
"After 40 years Michael Mann is exercising the right of authors to reclaim their work," the spokesman said. Mann's side also points to a 1988 oral agreement between Mann and two of his loan-out companies, which it says assigned him core Heat rights as an independent author.
His team said it would "vigorously defend this action" and is confident the courts will uphold Mann's statutory rights under the Copyright Act.
What it means for Heat 2
Mann's team says the lawsuit is unrelated to production of Heat 2. Mann will direct the prequel from his own script, based on his 2022 novel with Meg Gardiner. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Adam Driver, Stephen Graham and Jason Clarke.
Filming is not due to start until early next year. Mann's spokesman said shooting begins on January 19.
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