Reports out of Hollywood suggest that Tom Cruise may return as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle for a sequel to the 1990 movie Days of Thunder.
Having previously shut down an attempt at a TV reboot, Cruise, buoyed by the success of Top Gun: Maverick, and the seemingly-never-ending Mission Impossible franchise is said to be keen on the idea of a sequel, some 34 years after the film made its box-office debut.
Days of Thunder wasn’t a hit with the critics but it still managed to rake in $157 million against its $60m budget, thanks to the backing of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott.
Cruise is a serious auto enthusiast with an extensive car collection and can often be seen trackside at Formula 1 races, where, no doubt he’s closely watched Brad Pitt’s F1 movie coming together.
Notorious for doing his own stunts, it’s hard not to imagine Cruise wanting to get back behind the wheel of a race car. The 62-year-old star passed his SCCA driving test in 1987 and began racing in a Nissan 300ZX, winning four out his first 16 races. He’s also test driven a Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car and was Top Gear‘s fastest Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car.
Although there’s no script for Days of Thunder 2 yet Cruise is said to be eager to get back on track. “He’s talking [to Paramount] about Top Gun and Days of Thunder,” a studio insider told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s going to be what comes together first in terms of a script. It depends on the idea and, ultimately, the script.”
Joseph Kosinski who helmed Top Gun: Maverick and is currently working on Brad Pitt’s F1 would be the obvious director to get on board, but is there an outside chance that an even bigger star could get behind the cameras? “Hands down my favourite [racing movie] is Days of Thunder,” said no less than Quentin Tarantino in 2013. “Yeah, yeah, you laugh, but seriously, I’m a big fan.”
