Tom Cruise in talks to star in ‘Days of Thunder’ sequel

Tom Cruise
| Photo Credit: Lee Jin-man

Following the success of Top Gun: Maverick, Hollywood star Tom Cruise is now gearing up for his next action drama: a sequel to Tony Scott’s 1990 film Days of Thunder, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cruise is in discussions with Paramount to join the cast of the follow-up to the original racing drama.

While Days of Thunder was not a box office success upon its release, and critics gave it mixed to unfavorable reviews, Cruise believes he can repeat the formula that revived Top Gun in 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick. By modernizing the racing story, he hopes to achieve similar success with Days of Thunder.

The project is still in the early stages, with Paramount awaiting a compelling script. “Cruise is about to start shooting The Revenant filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s next project for Warner Bros./Legendary,” reports The Hollywood Reporter. He is also working on a film with Doug Liman for Universal, which will involve shooting in actual space, and is developing a Top Gun: Maverick sequel — a top priority for both Cruise and Paramount.

“He’s talking [to Paramount] about Top Gun and Days of Thunder,” said a studio insider. “It’s going to be what comes together first in terms of a script. It depends on the idea and, ultimately, the script.”

“I don’t think a Days of Thunder sequel is a terrible idea,” added another Paramount source. “People might have thought revisiting Top Gun was a bad idea, but I wouldn’t discount it.”

Released in 1990, Days of Thunder was produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Tony Scott, and starred Cruise alongside Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, and Michael Rooker. The film also featured real-life NASCAR icons such as Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant.