Jonathan Levine circles Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder sequel
Deadline reports the 50/50 filmmaker is in talks to direct Paramount’s planned NASCAR follow-up with Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer producing.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Tom Cruise’s return to the NASCAR fast lane may have found its director.
Jonathan Levine, the filmmaker behind 50/50, Warm Bodies and Long Shot, is in discussions to direct Paramount’s planned sequel to Days of Thunder, Deadline reported. The project would bring Cruise back to one of his early action dramas, with Jerry Bruckheimer also aboard as a producer.
According to Deadline, Will Staples has written the screenplay. Cruise is set to produce alongside Bruckheimer, who also produced the 1990 original with Don Simpson.
The talks mark a fresh sign of movement on the follow-up after Bruckheimer discussed the possibility of another Days of Thunder film during the press tour for F1. Deadline noted that the racing movie became a major box office hit, earning more than $634 million worldwide, and reported two years ago that Cruise had been in talks with Paramount about a sequel.
Paramount has already seen what can happen when Cruise revives one of his marquee titles. Top Gun: Maverick became the biggest global release ever for both the actor and the studio, with $1.5 billion worldwide, according to Deadline.
Levine already has another Paramount film on deck
Levine’s next Paramount movie is Mr. Irrelevant, which Deadline said is scheduled to open on Christmas Day. The film tells the true story of John Tuggle, the final player selected in the 1983 NFL Draft, who was picked by the New York Giants and left a lasting mark on the team and his teammates.
Levine has worked across comedy, romance and genre films. His credits include the cancer comedy-drama 50/50, the zombie romance Warm Bodies and the romantic comedy Long Shot.
The original put Cruise behind the wheel
Days of Thunder arrived in theaters in the summer of 1990. Directed by the late Tony Scott and written by Robert Towne, the film starred Cruise as Cole Trickle, a brash rookie stock car driver trying to make it in NASCAR while dealing with professional and personal pressure.
The movie earned $82.6 million at the domestic box office and $157.9 million worldwide, Deadline reported.
Cruise conceived the story for the original film. The cast also included Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams and Michael Rooker.
The film was also where Cruise met Nicole Kidman. The two later married and remained husband and wife for 11 years, according to Deadline. They went on to star together in Ron Howard’s Far and Away and Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.
Paramount has not announced a release date for the Days of Thunder sequel. Deadline reported only that Levine is in talks, meaning a directing deal has not been finalized.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.