Days of Thunder is an oft-forgotten Tom Cruise action vehicle, and while there’s plenty to love about it, it’s not a film that would benefit from the Cruise-sequel treatment. Days of Thunder is not Tony Scott’s best movie, nor is it Tom Cruise’s best movie, nor is it even one of Nicole Kidman’s best movies, but when it comes to the surprisingly barren genre of NASCAR movies, Days of Thunder stands above. With a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, Days of Thunder is not winning any retrospective awards, but it’s a surprisingly critical piece of Hollywood history.
This was the film where burgeoning superstar Tom Cruise met burgeoning superstar Nicole Kidman, and the couple married that same year, staying together for over a decade. It introduced John C. Reilly to the world. It proved that production values do matter, and decades later, the race scenes in Days of Thunder are as heart-pounding as anything that’s been produced about the sport since. Tom Cruise doesn’t mind making sequels, and studios certainly don’t turn their noses up at the idea, so Days of Thunder 2 feels like something that could be in the works.
The Official Status Of Days Of Thunder 2
Tom Cruise Is Interested In Days Of Thunder 2
In November 2024, it was announced that Tom Cruise was looking into reviving Days of Thunder, and was in talks with Paramount regarding a sequel to the racecar film (via THR). These discussions also included talks about a Top Gun: Maverick follow-up, Paramount Pictures distributed the original Days of Thunder, Top Gun, and even produced Top Gun: Maverick. Both of those original movies are Tony Scott films, so it would fit that Days of Thunder could also see a sequel. An unnamed executive at Paramount said,
“I don’t think a [Days of Thunder sequel] is a terrible idea. You might have said that revisiting Top Gun was a terrible idea. I wouldn’’t discount it.”
Since late 2024, there hasn’t been much news about the project, but Jeff Gordon, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the current vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, is also a friend of Cruise, and he’s said the pair have talked about Days of Thunder 2 (via NASCAR).
“I’ve absolutely talked to Tom about it because I want him to do the project, and we want to be a part of it if it were to happen.”
The hard part isn’t getting Cruise or NASCAR interested in the project, however. The hard part is getting everyone else invested. From former cast members, to the studios, to the audience, there would need to be a lot of groundwork done to see this project get going.
Days Of Thunder Is Not A Top-Tier Tom Cruise Movie
Top Gun And Mission: Impossible Are Far Better Franchises
Days of Thunder 2 is not as good an idea as it may sound in theory. Days of Thunder is no Top Gun. Top Gun: Maverick may have introduced the story to a whole new generation of filmgoers, but that movie has a much stronger legacy than Days of Thunder. While both films earned comparable amounts at the box office, with Top Gun earning $177 million (via BoxOfficeMojo) and Days of Thunder earning $158 million (via BoxOfficeMojo), Top Gun is by far the better film, with a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Most people will struggle to even remember the plot of Days of Thunder, and while they may not have seen Top Gun before Top Gun: Maverick, characters and scenes from the fighter pilot movie are extremely well known. The volleyball scene, “Iceman”, “Goose”, “I feel the need… The need for speed“, everyone singing “Great Balls of Fire”; take your pick. Audiences had a familiarity with Top Gun in a way they just don’t with Days of Thunder. Days of Thunder feels like a xerox of Top Gun, so a sequel would feel unnecessary considering we already have Top Gun: Maverick.
Cole Trickle is sponsored by Mello Yello in Days of Thunder, a real-life soda brand.
The great thing about Top Gun: Maverick was seeing Cruise back in a touted franchise, but now with a new cast of likeable characters, doing the same things from the original but with an updated storyline for the modern era. The argument for Days of Thunder 2 is exactly the same. There’s no need to go back to the well twice.
As for comparisons to another Cruise movie franchise like Mission: Impossible, Days of Thunder doesn’t come close to the success and importance of that franchise. That spy franchise is not a nostalgia-fueled series of movies, it’s a series of films that keeps pushing the bar for what action and thrillers can be. Days of Thunder 2 would likely not be that, and so any comparisons to Mission: Impossible fall flat.
The Days Of Thunder Supporting Cast Would Likely Not Return
Nicole Kidman May Not Be Interested In Working With Her Ex-Husband
Another difficulty with putting Days of Thunder together would be getting the cast back. Tom Cruise may be interested in returning, but Nicole Kidman would almost certainly not be. Though she has publicly claimed she and Cruise are on good terms, she once claimed her divorce from Cruise was “a major shock” (via Today). She’s also been notably silent on the subject of Scientology (via TheAge), a quasi-religion that has been accused of being a cult by some countries’ courts (via FirstAmendment).
Even someone as dedicated as Cruise only has so much time.
Cruise has long been a spokesperson for the organization, and that may prove to be a hurdle for Kidman to cross if she were ever interested in returning for Days of Thunder 2. Other actors, like Robert Duvall, who costars as Harry Hogge, have simply aged out of the role. Cruise himself is extremely busy. Though he clearly has a lot of energy for these projects, he has a new Mission: Impossible film and an unтιтled Alejandro Iñárritu project coming up in the next two years. Even someone as dedicated as Cruise only has so much time.
Could Days Of Thunder 2 Ever Work?
A Sequel Could Take Place In The F1 Circuit
If everything came together and Paramount agreed to produce, could Days of Thunder 2 work? Well, of course it could. There have been plenty of flimsy movies that have resulted in ill-advised sequels, and even the ones that don’t receive critical acclaim can still succeed at the box office. Racing sports are popular right now, with Ford v Ferrari, Drive to Survive, Senna, Gran Turismo, and Ferrari all proving that the racing genre is not ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Most of these productions are not about stock car racing (NASCAR), so maybe Days of Thunder 2 could change the sport.
With how popular F1 is, maybe Cole Trickle (Cruise) could find himself as the crew chief for a young H๏τsH๏τ F1 racer. Much like Ted Lᴀsso brought in an inexperienced American to a European sport, Days of Thunder 2 could do the same. Cole would not only have to train a rookie driver, he would also have to get used to this new world of racing that he’s only somewhat familiar with. It’s an option, but sometimes it’s better to leave films alone, and until Days of Thunder is spoken about like Top Gun, a sequel feels unnecessary.
