Tom Cruise: After Top Gun, a sequel to one of his most famous films?

Is Tom Cruise already gearing up for post-Mission: Impossible? Although the eighth episode of the spy saga, which is scheduled to hit theaters on May 21, 2025, could be the last, the star is considering a sequel to one of the films that took him to the top of Hollywood. And it’s not Top Gun, which already went there two years ago and gave it its biggest success to date, grossing $1.496 billion worldwide.

No, it’s Days of Thunder, also directed by Tony Scott. The 1990 feature film is considered by many to be NASCAR’s Top Gun, as it is set in the world of auto racing and features Cole Tricker (Tom Cruise) who dreams of winning the famous Daytona race. , even if it means coming into conflict with the star of the team he’s joining (played by Michael Rooker) and causing a major crash between them.

Less iconic than Top Gun, due to a weak story and race scenes, however memorable, as well as less prosperous figures at the worldwide box office ($157 million for 60 budget), Days of Thunder still remained a career highlight. His leading role, because it was his meeting with the legend Robert Duvall and especially with Nicole Kidman, with whom he would create the most glamorous and powerful couple in Hollywood until the 2000s.

Although the sequel is in the works at Paramount, respectively The Hollywood ReporterTwo questions will already be asked: Who will replace Tony Scott behind the camera? And will we see Nicole Kidman next to Tom Cruise on the big screen again? If Joseph Kosinski is the most credible option in terms of directing, the Top Gun: Maverick director has just signed on for a similar project, F1 with Brad Pitt, which will be released on June 25, 2025.

Did Nicole Kidman change in the sequel?

As for Nicole Kidman, today it is difficult to see her working with her ex-husband again. Who could have given him the same fate as Kelly McGillis, who was replaced by Jennifer Connelly “Love Interest” In Top Gun: Maverick. And it will be even less surprising if the sequel to Days of Thunder takes the same direction, making Cole a mentor to a new generation. Same success at the finish line?

We’ll have to wait, as the feature film is currently looking for future screenwriters, with the star soon to be directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, and Top Gun 3 is more or less in full swing. Anyway, this isn’t the first time the studio has tried to reboot the Days of Thunder vehicle, as a Paramount+ reboot as a series was mentioned recently… before Tom Cruise himself ended it. Better to get back behind the wheel.