<P> In April 1994 , Mann was reported to have abandoned his earlier plan to shoot a biopic of James Dean in favor of directing Heat , producing it with Art Linson . The film was marketed as the first on - screen appearance of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together in the same scene -- both actors starred in The Godfather Part II , but owing to the nature of their roles , they were never seen in the same scene . Pacino and De Niro were Mann 's first choices for the roles of Hanna and McCauley , respectively , and they both immediately agreed to act . </P>
what was the first movie to feature al pacino and robert deniro on screen together
Heat