- Tom Cruise and Paramount are developing a long-awaited Days of Thunder sequel.
- A television reboot of the iconic 1990 NASCAR racing film has previously been pitched, but ultimately vetoed by Cruise himself.
- Days of Thunder directed by the late Tony Scott, while not particularly successful during its box office run ($60 million budget against $157 million globally), is a cult classic.
Appleโs upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt may have some stiff competition as Tom Cruise develops Days of Thunder sequel with Paramount.
Last November, The Hollywood Reporter revealed such a project was being weighed up by the 62-year-old action star and his longtime studio of choice against the future of the freshly-revived Top Gun franchise; with potential writers being enlisted at the time of the report.
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Now, we have confirmation from the Mission: Impossible star himself.
โYeah, weโre thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and whatโs possible. It took me 35 years to figure out Top Gun: Maverick, so all of these things weโre working on, weโre discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick,โ Cruise recently told Today Show Australia.
He continued: โThereโs numerous other films that weโre actively working on right now. Iโm always shooting a film, prepping a film, posting a film. I just finished a film with Alejandro Iรฑรกrritu too, who did The Revenant, and weโll be coming out with that. That was an extraordinary experience and [Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie] and I are always working on several different films.โ
As mentioned earlier, this isnโt Paramountโs first attempt at a follow-up to the beloved NASCAR flick: a Days of Thunder reboot series for Paramount+ had previously been pitched, but ultimately fell apart when Tom Cruise โ who famously retains script approval over all his projects โ pulled the plug.
Screenplay quality check aside, Cruise has a few additional items to tick off his to-do list before he can commit to another nostalgia-backed sequel.
Thereโs the matter of the long-gestating Universal picture set in actual space being helmed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, American Made); reportedly titled Deeper and to be shot in cooperation with NASA and SpaceX, it follows โan astronaut who encounters a terrifying force while on a deep dive into a never-before-explored trench.โ
Then thereโs the Tropic Thunder spin-off centred upon the Cruise career highlight that is Les Grossman, which he briefly alluded to in conversation with B.H. during the Sydney premiere of Mission: Impossible โDead Reckoning.
The original Days of Thunder, directed by Top Gun filmmaker Tony Scott, introduced audiences to Tom Cruise as Cole Trickle โ a hot-headed NASCAR rookie who develops under the guidance of veteran driver and rival, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker), as well as his seasoned crew chief Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall).
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It also introduced Cruise to his future wife and Eyes Wide Shut co-star Nicole Kidman, who portrayed Coleโs romantic interest: neurosurgeon Dr Claire Lewicki.
The legendary Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the latter of whom is currently producing Appleโs aforementioned F1 movie with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, also had a hand in the cult classic. Side note: F1 also has a remarkably similar-sounding synopsis, down to the veteran driver (Pitt) mentoring a young hotshot (Damson Idris).
Stay tuned for updates on the Days of Thunder sequel starring Tom Cruise.
