Days of Thunder 2: Paramount Races Forward With Tom Cruise Sequel

Paramount appears ready to revive another Tom Cruise hit, and this time it is Days of Thunder. After the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are lining up a sequel to the 1990 NASCAR drama. The move signals that studios are still betting big on familiar titles that can deliver at the box office. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Paramount is in talks with director Jonathan Levine to take the wheel. Levine is known for films like 50/50 and Warm Bodies. Cruise is expected to return as Cole Trickle, with Bruckheimer producing. The reunion brings back key players who helped shape the original film. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman at the racetrack in a scene from the film ‘Days of Thunder’, 1990. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Getty Images) When Days of Thunder hit theaters in 1990, it drew clear comparisons to Top Gun. The film swapped fighter jets for stock cars and followed a young driver learning control and discipline on and off the track. It did solid business at the time but never reached the cultural level of Cruise’s other action hits. That perception has shifted. In recent years, fans and critics have reevaluated Days of Thunder as an und...