Tom Cruise considering Days of Thunder sequel for Paramount

After the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise may be looking to make a sequel to Days of Thunder, the NASCAR racing film directed by the late Tony Scott. THR reports that the actor has been talking to Paramount about the potential project in addition to Top Gun 3. The studio is reaching out to writers, but it’s still early days.

“He’s talking [to Paramount] about Top Gun and Days of Thunder,” a studio insider familiar with the discussions told the outlet. “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. You might have said that revisiting Top Gun was a terrible idea. I wouldn’t discount it.“

Cruise played Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder, a young hot-shot stock car driver who gets his chance to compete at the top level. The film also starred Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, and Michael Rooker. However, unlike Top Gun, Days of Thunder wasn’t considered a major box office hit. It grossed $157 million against a budget of $60 million. It also received mixed reviews from critics at the time but has grown a passionate following, which includes director Quentin Tarantino. “Hands down my favorite [racing movie] is Days of Thunder,” Tarantino said in 2013. “Yeah, yeah, you laugh, but seriously, I’m a big fan. Sure, it had a big budget, big stars and a big director in Tony Scott, but it had the fun of those early [American International Picture racing] movies. I just don’t think [the genre] works if you take the whole thing too seriously.“

Before any potential Days of Thunder sequel, Cruise has several projects on his slate. He’s set to start filming a new movie directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which will be the director’s first English-language movie since The Revenant. He’s also set to reunite with director Doug Liman for a movie which will see him travel into outer space for real. 

Would you like to see a sequel to Days of Thunder?