'Heat 2' taps Stephen Graham in mysterious role

It is now confirmed that, for quite some time, the industry's open secret has been that Stephan Graham will star in the hotly anticipated sequel to Heat.

Yet it is unclear what role he will play.

According to Variety, he is rumoured to portray a younger version of Robert De Niro, whose character, Neil McCauley, was central to the crime drama.

In addition, his co-star Christian Bale reportedly will play LAPD detective Vincent Hanna, famously played by Al Pacino.

Leonardo DiCaprio is also lined up to portray Chris Shiherlis, the character Val Kilmer played and ran away in the final events of Heat.

Heat 2 logline read, "Spanning the years before and after the chaotic Los Angeles bank heist, the story follows bruised survivor Chris Shiherlis fleeing across international borders while dogged detective Vincent Hanna hunts down a ruthless new generation of criminals across distinct eras."