Don’t panic, Michael Mann fans: Brian De Palma and Jason Statham are not planning the unthinkable by cooking up a new version of his classic crime pic. Nope, the Heat they are actually planning to remake is a 1986 Burt Reynolds drama.

The plot will find Statham play a recovering gambling addict who remains on the fringes of the circuit providing protection to players who can afford his services. His quirk is he refuses to use a gun, sticking to his fists and a few trusty knives.

But then a friend is nearly killed in a beating from a mobster, and our hero swears revenge. William Goldman adapted the original screenplay from his 1985 book (which trivia fans may wish to note was published over here as Edged Weapons), and he’s back on writing duty this time around, updating the tale to the present day. So could it be called Reheated?

This isn’t the first time Statham’s filled someone else’s shoes in remake territory: last year saw him taking on a former Charles Bronson role in The Mechanic, and he also subbed for future Expendables director/co-star Sly Stallone in Paul WS Anderson’s 2008 remake of Death Race.

He’ll next crop up in action thriller Safe (out here May 4) and then will be seen back with Sly and co for The Expendables 2, which arrives later in the year.