MOVIE NEWS – Paramount has reportedly found a director for the long-rumored sequel to Days of Thunder, with Tom Cruise expected to return as Cole Trickle. Jerry Bruckheimer will once again produce, while 50/50 and Warm Bodies filmmaker Jonathan Levine is in talks to direct.

Legacy sequels have become increasingly common, with studios continuing to dust off decades-old properties in the hope of recapturing the same nostalgic magic. Some of these projects become trapped in development hell, others are merely mentioned in passing, and several feel more like exercises in wishful thinking than movies that will actually be made. One long-rumored sequel, however, suddenly appears to be taking shape. Tom Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have already proved that they can turn a classic action film into a billion-dollar phenomenon with Top Gun: Maverick, and now the pair may reunite to revisit another of Cruise’s earlier action movies.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has found its intended director for the sequel to Tony Scott’s 1990 NASCAR action drama, Days of Thunder, which is being positioned as Cruise’s next production. Jonathan Levine, known for 50/50 and Warm Bodies, is in talks to direct, with Cruise reprising his starring role and Bruckheimer once again producing. The arrangement would reunite two of the biggest creative forces behind the original movie.

The Other Tom Cruise and Tony Scott Action Movie Is Finally Returning

Days of Thunder often felt like the neglected younger sibling of the more popular and quotable Top Gun, and it never achieved the same lasting cultural impact. Released in 1990, the movie essentially saw Cruise and director Tony Scott exchange fighter jets for race cars. It followed hot-headed NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, whose raw talent was gradually tempered by experience as he learned the importance of discipline, teamwork, and restraint.

In recent years, the film has undergone a reassessment, with many viewers now considering it an underrated classic in Cruise’s filmography. This reappraisal, combined with the enormous success of Top Gun: Maverick, appears to have reignited interest in returning to the world of NASCAR racing. The Top Gun sequel became the highest-grossing movie of Cruise’s career and Paramount’s biggest box-office success to date, earning almost $1.5 billion worldwide. Revisiting another movie from Cruise’s youth suddenly no longer seemed particularly far-fetched.

Cruise himself has done little to discourage speculation about the sequel. He first revealed in 2024 that he was considering ideas for the story, while retired NASCAR driver and Hendrick Motorsports executive Jeff Gordon told Road & Track last year about encountering Cruise at a Mission: Impossible premiere. According to Gordon, the actor was extremely direct: “The first word out of his mouth is, ‘We’re doing it. We’re doing Days of Thunder 2.’”

There are naturally several major obstacles facing the production, the most obvious being the absence of Tony Scott, whose distinctive visual style helped define the original movie. His use of saturated colors, rapid camera movements, and adrenaline-fueled racing sequences formed a major part of Days of Thunder’s identity. This is also why Levine could be an unexpectedly inspired choice: he is best known for character studies and relationship dramas, making him almost entirely different from Scott as a filmmaker. At the very least, his involvement suggests that the sequel will not simply attempt to imitate the original.

The screenplay is being written by Will Staples, who previously worked on video games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, wrote Without Remorse, and performed uncredited work on Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. With a potential director and a screenwriter now attached, the project no longer sounds like nothing more than an idea occasionally mentioned by Cruise, and appears to have entered genuine development.

Robert Duvall’s death in 2024 means the sequel will be missing one of the original film’s most memorable characters, the irascible veteran crew chief Harry Hogge. His absence will undoubtedly be strongly felt, while the possible return of the remaining cast members is still uncertain. It remains to be seen whether Nicole Kidman, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, Randy Quaid, and John C. Reilly can be persuaded to reprise their roles.

Unlike many legacy sequels that never progress beyond hopeful rumors, Days of Thunder 2 now appears to have genuine momentum. Cruise has been discussing a return to the property for several years, Bruckheimer is involved, and Paramount is already working to secure a director. The production is finally assembling the creative team needed to put the pedal to the metal and turn the long-rumored sequel into a reality.

Source: MovieWeb