Tom Cruise Could Soon be Back on Track in Days of Thunder 2
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 $60 M 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 favorite [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.”
Oh for Gods sake spare us.
They really need to do a true story on Tim Richmond. He lived a true Hollywood tragedy.
I have worked with and around a number of racing series over the years. I hot yo meet and know a number of drivers. The funny thing is Stroker Ace was closer to what NASCAR was at the time.
Nothing will ever top Grand Prix. A movie like that could never be made again. Rush did well but to film on the real tracks during the real race with no CG being used are over.
Really? I think for so many liberties Hollywood has taken with racing movies, Days of Thunder is pretty bearable. For instance, for anyone who has read “Go Like Hell”, will see how many liberties they took with Ford v Ferrari. Almost unwatchable if you know the real story. Would take a fictional story over their embellishment of history any day of the week.
But let’s face it, what the world really needs is a sequel to Talladega Nights
There are very few good raving movies.
It does not help that I’m not a big Bruckheimer fan nor Cruise fan.
Ford vs Ferrari was entertaining at best. I read the book. I knew HF2 never got rattled at the airport in a GT40. They could have done it more justice being real. Shelby alone was more than a script writer could imagine. I dealt with him on back ordered heads. Gave me a good cussing. He was tough but that is how he succeeded.
Enzo was good but it was such a short part of his life. You almost had yo be familiar to understand it. It would have made a good mini series.
I tried to watch Talladega Nights and like the Anchorman I could not get past the first 30 min.
Racing is just tough to capture in 90 min.
Car movies do much better like American Graffiti or Smokey and the Bandit where the cast snd story support the movie and the cars are supporting roles.
I hate the Fast and Furious. We hated it at work as every idiot calling in saying I want NIS man. Like NOS was a word.
Sounds like words spoken by someone who takes everything way too seriously. Talladega Nights is good as a car adjacent movie and as a fun satire of NASCAR culture.
Take my advice, pour yourself a stiff drink to loosen up and watch it, you miiiight like it.
Just not a Will Ferrell fan. There are only a couple of his movies I find funny or humorous. It had nothing to do with the racing part.
I have a hell of a good sense of humor but I have some standards. Love Sienfeld and I can recite Smokey and the Bandit word for word. Gleason was a genius in that movie.
I’m sure you have folks you don’t find funny either.
I did like Elf but most of the rest ehh.
If you need a drink to find humor you need to find better humor.
Loved Gallager, Groucho etc.
Listen to this man, he has taste and discernment!
It would be nice if Hollyweird would have some new and original thoughts. Same movies, part two or just remakes. Give us a break
I was going to comment about the tradition in racing movies where the hero suddenly discovers he has an additional gear and 2 more inches of throttle travel in a race, but after watching the field circulate Daytona and Talladega at 75% throttle life does now imitate art.
The best – meaning most profound, or hysterical, or intriguing – stories in Motorsports may be too far beyond the general public’s frame of reference, but they’re definitely too much for the suits that run Hollywood. They always have to inject at least a barely-related romance or jumble facts, non-facts, and events together – the problem with that is the movies are advertised or presented as more factual than they actually are.
Like the chase scenes in Bullitt, LeMans is probably the least-distorted portrayal of the real thing; how anyone could dismiss the track scenes or the characters or most of the dialog is beyond me.
But I guess it’s the blockbuster mentality of the studios – commerce is more important to them than art or accuracy.
I agree with first comment…”Spare us!”
Days of Thunder was an awesome movie when it came out – Classic lines like “Control is an illusion, you infantile egomaniac. Nobody knows what’s gonna happen next: not on a freeway, not in an airplane, not inside our own bodies and certainly not on a racetrack with 40 other infantile egomaniacs.” Nicole was so HOT when she turned around and said that…worth the movie — watching that movie NOW on an IMAX may change perception —
I viewed Days of Thunder once. Hated it for the mostly unreal race footage too many crashes and always enough throttle left to make a pass all of a sudden. Story line was not great and the real kicker is I could not find myself in any of the crowd senes. They shot a lot of crowd senes at the races I attended the year of filming.
Tom Cruise is not my top pick as a so called action hero movie actor, Jack Reacher comes to mind. No mater how hard Mr. Cruise tries he will never be 6ft. 5in. tall and weigh 230 pounds. What bet he is producer?
Insert the clip of the Office… No, No Nooooooooooooooooo!
Do we need a sequel to a movie 35+ years later. Yes, they got away with it in Top Gun 2. Are they going to do the same plot in racing? Is he going to be a NASCAR instructor but then have to take over and win the race in the end? Will he be responsible for the death of someone and deal with their sons daddy issues. Please Hollywood, just don’t.
If Tom wants go racing again, keep it real. while there was a lousy movie version, I think a movie that follow the story line in the book “Stand on It” by Stroker Ace. If you haven’t read it, try to find a copy to read.
If you want real racing go to a race. I go to movies to be entertained not educated. And for five bucks (senior rate, natch!) it doesn’t take much for me to get my money’s worth.
Can’t wait to see who plays who in the France conglomerate.
The only thing I ask is that the last name Trickle not be used in respect of Dick.
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