It seems Tom Cruise still has the need for speed…
While news of a sequel to the iconic racing film “Days of Thunder” has been circulating and Paramount is actively developing the film, the project has taken another step toward the starting line with the announcement of a potential director. According to the Hollywood Reporter, filmmaker Jonathan Levine is officially in talks to helm the long-anticipated sequel, as Tom Cruise is set to return as speed demon race car driver Cole Trickle. Levine, best known for comedies like “The Long Shot” and “50/50,” has been getting a lot of buzz as murmurs about his new film, the John Tuggle biopic “Mr. Irrelevant” (starring the one and only David Corensweat), are testing through the roof. It makes sense Paramount would want to keep this in-house, especially with a leading man as creatively involved as Cruise.
While much is not known about the project’s narrative, the one major question many like me are curious about is: Will Nicole Kidman return? Kidman and Cruise, who starred in the original and were married for eleven years, haven’t starred in a film together since Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut back in 1999. While the odds for this may not be high, the possibility of the two powerhouse talents reuniting would be enough to unite all cinephiles across the world. Levine has worked with Kidman on the series “Nine Perfect Strangers,” so it is not entirely impossible.
“Days of Thunder” remains one of the more seminal collaborations between Tony Scott and Cruise, although “Top Gun” is clearly the film that, to this day, has lasting power with audiences. With “F1” really amping the degree of what could be done with racing films, there’s no doubt Cruise is already thinking about how he’s going to push the limit.
Are you excited for a “Days of Thunder” sequel? Is Jonathan Levine a good choice to helm this project? Will Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise finally reunite on screen? Who else do you think will be announced to join this ensemble? What do you think of this news? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
