Paramount’s “ Days of Thunder ” sequel is shaping up with Jonathan Levine (“50/50,” “Warm Bodies”) in negotiations to direct returning star Tom Cruise . Cruise will also produce the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original 1990 racing drama. Will Staples wrote the script for the sequel.
“Days of Thunder” was directed by the late Tony Scott and followed Cruise as Cole Trickle, a scrappy race car driver who gets recruited to a new NASCAR team by a retired racing legend, played by Robert Duvall. Cruise met Nicole Kidman, to whom he was married for 11 years, on the set. Related Stories Joel Courtney to Star in and Produce Thriller 'Echo,' TikTok Creator Zac Stracener's Feature Directorial Debut (EXCLUSIVE) ‘Hell Grind’ AI Studio Higgsfield Debuts Short Film ‘Kök Börü’ at SIGGRAPH (EXCLUSIVE) In November 2024 , news broke that Cruise was in talks to reprise his role in a sequel.
This isn’t the first time Cruise has reprised one of his classic roles for Paramount: the star and studio partnered on the long-awaited “Top Gun” sequel in 2022. That film was a massive success for Paramount, grossing just shy of $1.5 billion at the global box office. It also earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture, and winning for best sound.
Popular on Variety Levine also has a history with the studio: Paramount is due to release his latest film, “Mr. Irrelevant,” on Christmas Day. David Corenswet stars as John Tuggle, the “Mr.
Irrelevant” of the 1983 draft, the last player chosen in the last round, by the New York Giants, and his enduring impact on his team and teammates. In addition to his varied film work helming comedies like “Long Shot” and “The Night Before,” Levine recently directed episodes of “Nine Perfect Strangers” starring Kidman. Next up for Cruise is Alejandro G.
Iñárritu’s dark comedy “Digger,” which Warner Bros. will release on Oct. 2.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the development update. John Oliver’s Soap Opera Surprise: A ‘Days of Our Lives’ Guest-Star Role
