Heat Director Michael Mann, 83, Rushed to Hospital After Shooting Himself at Gun Range
Heat director Michael Mann was rushed to hospital in Los Angeles after accidentally shooting himself in the leg at a gun range, his representative has confirmed.
The 83-year-old filmmaker was injured at The Range LA at about 4pm on Saturday, 31 October, when a weapon discharged while still holstered. Paramedics took him by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was treated and was being released, his spokesperson said.
In a statement, the representative said 'a weapon accidentally discharged while holstered', causing a 'superficial injury'. Separate media reports described the wound as subcutaneous and minor, meaning it was confined to tissue beneath the skin.
Police Respond to 'Shots Fired' Call
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) were called to the 11100 block of Missouri Avenue, in West Los Angeles, at about 4pm after a report of shots fired.
An LAPD spokesperson told People magazine that officers determined the shooting was accidental. Mann was taken to hospital in a stable condition and an injury report was completed, the spokesperson said.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that Mann was holstering a .45-calibre handgun at a members-only indoor range when it went off, striking his left thigh. Range staff gave medical aid before paramedics arrived, and the injury was not considered life-threatening, the sources said.
TMZ, which first reported the incident, said police described it as a training accident and that Mann had no intention of harming himself. No other injuries were reported at the range and no criminal charges have been mentioned.
Further details, including whether the weapon was his own, have not been made public. Fans sent messages of support on social media after news of the incident emerged.
Experienced Shooter and Acclaimed Heat Director
US media reports described Mann as an experienced target shooter who has practised at ranges for decades. The filmmaker is known for the realism of his crime dramas, particularly the way characters handle weapons. The downtown Los Angeles gun battle in Heat is a sequence admired by firearms enthusiasts.
Mann, born in Chicago in 1943, studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the London Film School, and directed commercials and European documentaries before moving into features.
His first feature film, Thief, followed in 1981. His other credits include Manhunter, The Insider, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for best director, Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, and the 2006 film adaptation of Miami Vice.
His most recent feature, Ferrari, starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in August 2023.
'Heat 2' Still Expected To Proceed
Deadline reported that a person close to the filmmaker said the incident would not affect the start of production on Heat 2, which he is due to direct from January.
Mann has also developed Heat 2 as a novel as well as a film project. The film is a follow-up to Heat (1995), in which Al Pacino plays an LAPD detective pursuing a professional thief, played by Robert De Niro.
The original grossed about $187 million (€174 million and £148 million) worldwide. Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio are reported to be among the cast of the sequel.
The LAPD has described Saturday's incident as accidental.