When Tom Cruise turned a long-awaited sequel to one of his old blockbusters into a huge modern hit, you had to assume he would try it again. And that is what he’s doing. He’s following up Top Gun: Maverick with a follow-up to Days of Thunder, which was already kind of a follow-up to Top Gun in the first place. It starred Cruise as a hot shot race car driver — you might say his Cole Trickle is a bit of a maverick — who survives a terrible crash but loses his nerve on the track and needs to rebuild his confidence.
The movie made $87 million worldwide, a fairly solid number for 1990 but nothing like the $360 million Top Gun grossed three years prior. Still, it is one of Cruise’s fondly remembered pictures of that period, thanks to the fast-paced work of director Tony Scott, the screenplay by Robert Towne, and the glossy production work of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.
With Cruise having apparently retired the Mission: Impossible series, he’s got more time on his hands to resurrect his other franchises. And so The Hollywood Reporter says that Paramount is now mounting a sequel to Days of Thunder. Cruise “is on board to star in the follow-up to his 1990 racing drama and is producing with Jerry Bruckheimer, one of the producers of the original.”
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They also report that Jonathan Levine is “in talks” to direct the film. (Tony Scott passed away in 2012.) Their article also notes that the movie is “intended to be Cruise’s next production.”
Levine is not an obvious choice for the film, as he’s best known for horror films (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) and comedies (50/50, The Night Before, Long Shot) more than action movies.
But maybe the most valuable thing on his resume as it relates to Days of Thunder 2 hasn’t even come out yet. His next project is a sports movie called Mr. Irrelevant, based on the true story of a man who was drafted last in the 1983 NFL Draft. (David Corenswet is playing the character.) That at least gives Levine some sports movie bona fides going into the world of NASCAR for Days of Thunder.
Mr. Irrelevant comes out this year on Christmas. Meanwhile Cruise will be seen this fall as the title character of Digger, which is due in theaters on October 2.
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