Christian Bale appears to have confirmed he will join the cast of Heat 2

Christian, 51, has now appeared to confirm his involvement in the crime saga sequel during an interview with Jake Hamilton of Fox32 News.

Posting on social media, Jake wrote: "Christian Bale just told me: I'll be back in Chicago soon for HEAT 2!"

Heat is widely regarded as a landmark of the 1990s crime thriller genre and explored the mirrored obsessions of Pacino and De Niro's characters.

A sequel has been discussed for years, but the project has gathered momentum in recent months, with several high-profile actors as well as DiCaprio and Driver attached.

Filmmaker Michael Mann, 83, spoke about the project's progress in an interview with Variety in late September.

He said: "I look forward to possibly shooting it in 2026. We're in the middle of doing all the things - budgeting, scheduling, casting process."

Christian is currently promoting The Bride!, a new interpretation of the Frankenstein story co-starring Jessie Buckley.

He is also attached to a forthcoming film based on the life of former NFL coach John Madden, in which John is portrayed by Nicolas Cage.

Elsewhere, a new adaptation of American Psycho is in development.

The original 2000 film version of the title helped establish Christian as a leading man after playing titular psychopath Patrick Bateman in the project.

Author Bret Easton Ellis, 61, recently said numerous "high profile actors" had declined the role of Patrick in a new film revival of his novel.

He said: "I think maybe because they don't want to be in the shoes of Christian Bale."

Christian began acting as a child and gained international attention in Empire of the Sun.

He later earned acclaim for roles including Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy, and won an Oscar for his work in The Fighter.