New Regency sues Michael Mann over ‘Heat’ screenplay rights

US production company New Regency has sued filmmaker Michael Mann in an effort to retain control of the screenplay for his 1995 crime film "Heat", as work on its sequel approaches.

US production company New Regency has sued filmmaker Michael Mann in an effort to retain control of the screenplay for his 1995 crime film “Heat”, as work on its sequel approaches.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in a federal court in Los Angeles, seeks a ruling that three notices served by Mann earlier this year to reclaim copyright rights are invalid.

New Regency argues that the screenplay was created as a “work made for hire” under agreements signed by Mann, meaning it is not eligible for copyright termination under the US Copyright Act. The company is asking the court to confirm that it retains the rights to the screenplay.

Mann, who wrote, produced and directed “Heat”, is seeking to reclaim rights under a provision of US copyright law that allows authors, in certain circumstances, to terminate copyright grants after 35 years. However, the provision does not apply to works made for hire.

A spokesperson for Mann said the filmmaker would contest the lawsuit.

“We will vigorously defend this action and are confident that the courts will vindicate Michael Mann’s statutory rights under the Copyright Act,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said the dispute concerned original writing Mann had done on several screenplays during the 1980s, which later evolved into “Heat”.

“After 40 years, Michael Mann is exercising the right of authors to reclaim their work and, in this case, Michael Mann’s original creation,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the legal dispute was unrelated to the production of “Heat 2”, which is scheduled to begin filming on January 19, 2027.