Days of Thunder 2 revs up — Jonathan Levine in talks to direct Tom Cruise

You still can’t stop the thunder. Paramount is moving Days of Thunder 2 from rumor to development heat: Tom Cruise reprises Cole Trickle, producing with Jerry Bruckheimer, while Jonathan Levine (50/50, Warm Bodies, upcoming Mr. Irrelevant) is in talks to direct from a Will Staples screenplay. Trade reports frame it as Cruise’s next production to go in front of cameras — with shooting chatter pointing at 2027.

Why Levine is the interesting call

Levine is not a Tony Scott clone — and that may be the point. After Top Gun: Maverick proved Cruise sequels print money when character leads the spectacle, Paramount tapping a drama/comedy-fluent director for NASCAR nostalgia reads like Maverick lessons applied to Victory Lane. Levine’s Mr. Irrelevant (David Corenswet) hits theaters Christmas Day after strong test screenings; landing Thunder would be the studio doubling down.

The original’s shadow

Tony Scott’s 1990 film made ~$158M worldwide, introduced Cruise to Nicole Kidman, and never quite escaped Top Gun comparisons. Staples’ résumé spans Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) and Without Remorse — plus uncredited Rogue Nation work that keeps him in the Cruise orbit. Kidman / ensemble returns: still under the hood.

F1 just reminded Hollywood that racing movies can still mint a billion-dollar mood. Cruise smelling rubber again is not nostalgia — it is strategy.