Paramount Moving Forward With Days of Thunder Sequel
What’s Happening? The gears are almost officially rolling on Paramount’s long-rumored sequel to the 1990 NASCAR-themed film Days of Thunder, as…
After years of speculation about a sequel to Days of Thunder, the project finally appears to be moving into a more serious phase, with Jonathan Levine reportedly in negotiations to direct Days of Thunder 2.
Tom Cruise is ready to return as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle and will also produce the movie alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original 1990 film.
Levine’s career has taken him through a broad range of genres, from horror and coming-of-age dramas to romantic comedies and action-oriented projects. The director made his feature debut with an American slasher film, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, in 2006, and has directed 8 movies so far.
What’s Happening? The gears are almost officially rolling on Paramount’s long-rumored sequel to the 1990 NASCAR-themed film Days of Thunder, as…
Levine’s directing work started with the horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, followed by The Wackness, a coming-of-age drama set in 1990s New York. He then directed 50/50 in 2011, a comedy-drama that revolved around a young man’s battle with cancer, before moving into the supernatural romantic comedy Warm Bodies in 2013.
His later directing credits include the Seth Rogen-led comedy The Night Before, the comedy Snatched, starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn, and Long Shot, which paired Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen, and the upcoming sports drama Mr. Irrelevant, which will release on December 25.
Levine has also directed television, including episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers.
With Days of Thunder 2, Levine would be getting into one of the more recognizable racing properties of the 1990s. The sequel’s script will come from Will Staples, whose writing credits include Call of Duty 3: Modern Warfare and the Michael B. Jordan action film Without Remorse.
For now, the details of the story are being kept under wraps, including how the sequel will revisit Cole Trickle’s world and whether any other original cast members will return.
The original Days of Thunder, released in 1990, was directed by the late Tony Scott, who reunited with Tom Cruise after their highly successful collaboration on Top Gun.
Cruise played Cole Trickle, a hotshot stock-car driver trying to establish himself at NASCAR’s highest level. The movie also starred Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, and Michael Rooker.
The original film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, with Cruise and Robert Towne credited with the story, and Towne writing the screenplay.
It also featured real NASCAR racing personalities, including Richard Petty and Rusty Wallace, while racing experts, including Rick Hendrick, Harry Hyde, and Greg Sacks, were credited as technical or racing advisers.
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