Days of Thunder 2: Tom Cruise returns – surprising director in talks
The original film's producer is also attached
Tom Cruise is stepping on the gas again! The Hollywood star is returning for the sequel to "Days of Thunder." And now, a potential director has been selected. Jonathan Levine is in talks to direct "Days of Thunder 2," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The filmmaker would be a rather surprising choice. Levine is known, among other things, for the zombie romance "Warm Bodies" and the comedy "Snatched." Very few people would have had him on their radar for a high-octane blockbuster like "Days of Thunder." The screenplay is written by Will Staples, who, among other things, had a hand in the script for the action hit "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation." In that regard, he has previously been involved in a film starring Cruise.
Days of Thunder: What the original movie was about
In the 1990 original, Cruise plays race car driver Cole Trickle. The young man is extremely ambitious and wants to make it to the very top as a NASCAR driver. It's still unclear how the story will unfold in the sequel: details about the plot have been kept under wraps so far. The only thing that's certain is that Cruise is once again set to star. He's also producing the film with Jerry Bruckheimer, who was already on board as a producer for the first installment.
The cast of "Days of Thunder" at the time included, alongside Cruise, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Nicole Kidman, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Caroline Williams. Tony Scott directed the film. The screenplay was written by Robert Towne, who co-wrote the story with Cruise. The film grossed $157 million at the global box office. For Cruise, "Days of Thunder" also holds special personal significance: he met Nicole Kidman on set, and the two were married for eleven years.
Top Gun 3 & Digger: New movies starring Tom Cruise
With "Days of Thunder 2," the filmmakers are likely hoping for a similar success to that of "Top Gun: Maverick." The latter film is also a long-awaited sequel to a Cruise classic. As with "Days of Thunder," Tony Scott directed the original "Top Gun" from 1986. Additionally, both films were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. In the case of "Top Gun," the sequel paid off: With "Maverick," Cruise made a spectacular comeback in 2022. The blockbuster became a massive hit at the box office, grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide. Given this success, "Top Gun 3" is already in the works. Lead actor Tom Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are set to return for this installment as well.
Next, however, we'll get to see Cruise in "Digger." In the new film by acclaimed director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Hollywood star will appear alongside other high-profile actors such as Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons. Cruise is barely recognizable in the film – and the hype surrounding his performance is growing. You can get a sneak peek in the trailer:
There's already talk that the role could finally earn him that long-awaited Oscar. Of course, that's just speculation at this point. But this speculation is likely also linked to the fact that in 2016, Iñárritu helped another major Hollywood star win his first Oscar for Best Actor after years of waiting: Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the lead role in Iñárritu's survival drama "The Revenant."
Adding to the hype is the fact that director J.J. Abrams recently spoke out enthusiastically: On social media, he assured us that Cruise will completely blow us all away with his performance. We'll soon be able to see in theaters whether the star actually lives up to the high expectations: "Digger" opens on October 2, 2026.