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If you’re still riding the 1980s nostalgia bandwagon, we’ve got more good news for you. The much-anticipated (around here, anyway) sequel to Days of Thunder is reportedly one step closer to reality. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount is eyeing Jonathan Levine to direct the new installment.
Levine is just the latest name attached to the project. Cruise, who has been championing the idea since not long after the release of Top Gun: Maverick. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original Days of Thunder, has also signed on to the project. It also has the endorsement of Jeff Gordon, whose career many people erroneously credit for inspiring the movie. That distinction actually goes to Tim Richmond.
Other potential returning talent has not yet been confirmed. We’ll have to make do without Robert Duvall, sadly. But it’s 2026 and reality is very out of fashion, so maybe don’t take that all the way to the bank? Cary, if you’re reading this (you’re not), do it. This is a way better nostalgia play than “Stranger Things.”
Levine doesn’t appear to have dabbled in racing flicks previously (not that there are many of them out there to begin with), but he does at least have some experience with sports dramas. According to the Reporter, his upcoming film, Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story, has tested well with audiences. It’s an inspired-by-real-life flick that tells the story of the final pick in the 1983 NFL draft due to release near Christmas this year.
The next few years may turn out pretty decently for fans of motorsports-inspired movies. In addition to the Days sequel, a second installment of Brad Pitt’s F1 franchise is also reportedly in the works. Which will hit theaters first? Hmm, sounds like a race. Either way, sign us up for some IMAX screenings, please.
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Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.
