Tom Cruise is once again gaining traction in the racing world. While Tom had already discussed the movie's impact, and officially announced a sequel was being developed last week on the 35th anniversary of the 1990 film, Days of Thunder, he took the opportunity to expound.
In a conversation with retired NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, Cruise reportedly said that Days of Thunder 2 is officially happening. Gordon said in an interview, Cruise told him, "We’re doing it." Gordon went on to say that Cruise was already excited about the project. Although Cruise has not shared any more news about the sequel publicly, some fans of the original film are now super excited.
Days of Thunder follows the story of Cole Trickle, a gifted but hot-headed race car driver who is trying to build a support's career in NASCAR. The movie was directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who is known for a great many of his films, including Top Gun with Cruise. The movie became a cult favourite, onboarding the components of action, romance, and the NASCAR world.
Cruise's social media posts on the anniversary captured various backstage pictures from the original movie, and included a message about Cole and NASCAR and expressed his love for the sport and the character. He also mentioned producer Jerry Bruckheimer that helped get the film built.
There is still no official word on the release date, or who else may join the sequel, but Paramount Pictures is apparently in the early stages of development.
As the chatter about Days of Thunder 2 increases, there has also been talk of a potential connection to another high-profile racing film, Brad Pitt’s upcoming Formula 1 movie, directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Kosinski, who also directed Top Gun: Maverick, recently teased that the idea of a link between the two movies isn't totally far-fetched. He said that Cruise's character, Cole Trickle, and Pitt's character, Sonny Hayes, may have crossed paths at some earlier point in their racing careers.
While nothing has been publicly confirmed, fans are intrigued by the possibility of merging two fictional stories about two different racers—a NASCAR racer and an F1 racer. The movie depicts a fictional F1 film with Pitt, produced by Bruckheimer, which is filmed at real-life Grand Prix events and tells the story of a former driver (Pitt) returning.
Kosinski's involvement with both the F1 film and rumors of Days of Thunder 2 obviously ignites some speculation. He is also involved with Top Gun 3, so there is no doubt he is building a strong relationship with Cruise.
Whether or not these two racing films end up tying together is unknown, one thing is certain: Cruise and his team see a potential to create more big-screen vehicle-based thrillers. Days of Thunder 2 was constantly mentioned for years as fans were nostalgic of the original film, it is clear that exploring this potential next film will quickly move on the screen because there are many conversations considering talent from Hollywood behind it.
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