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Tom Cruise's Days of Thunder sequel shifts into high gear with a major update.
The 1990 action classic stars Cruise as Cole Trickle, a young hotshot stock car driver who gets a chance to compete at the highest level in the Daytona 500. A sequel was first announced in November 2024, but in May 2025, Cruise confirmed that it was actively being developed, revealing that he is "working on" and "discussing Days of Thunder."
Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Jonathan Levine is in talks to direct the Days of Thunder sequel, with Cruise set to reprise his role and produce the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, who was part of the original movie's producing team. The project is expected to be Cruise's next production.
Plot details for the new installment are being kept tightly guarded, but the screenplay comes from Will Staples, whose credits include writing for video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) and co-writing the Michael B. Jordan-led action thriller Without Remorse (2021).
Released in 1990, Days of Thunder reunited Tom Cruise with his Top Gun director Tony Scott. Although it didn't reach the same heights as their earlier 1986 blockbuster, the racing drama remains one of Cruise's most memorable movies, starring as a fearless NASCAR driver chasing speed and success while navigating dangerous crashes, romance, and the pressure of competing in the Daytona 500.
The cast also included Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Nicole Kidman, Michael Rooker, Cary Elwes, John C. Reilly, Fred Dalton Thompson, Caroline Williams, J.C. Quinn, Nick Searcy, and also features appearances from real NASCAR drivers, such as Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant.
Paramount's decision to bring Jonathan Levine on board for the Days of Thunder sequel, with his agreement still being finalized, signals the studio's confidence in the filmmaker, especially following his work on the upcoming sports drama Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story, starring David Corenswet and set for a theatrical release on December 25, which has received exceptional reactions in early test screenings.
Levine has built one of the most diverse directing careers in Hollywood, moving effortlessly across genres. His credits range from the slasher All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), the coming-of-age dramedy The Wackness (2008), the dramedy 50/50 (2011), the zombie comedy Warm Bodies (2013), the comedies The Night Before (2017), Snatched (2017), and the romantic comedy Long Shot (2019).
More recently, Levine has focused on prestige television, directing episodes of Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers (2021–) starring Nicole Kidman. With Cruise back behind the wheel, and Levine taking over directorial duties, the Days of Thunder sequel looks ready to bring racing thrills back to the big screen.
