Tom Cruise is looking to make another sequel to his action classic, and it’s not what you’d expect.
The actor is in talks with Paramount about a follow-up to his 1990 NASCAR racing film. Days of Thunder.
On the surface, the idea seems rather bold. thunder It was not considered a box office success upon release ($157 million worldwide with a production budget of $60 million), and the film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. But the 1986 revival and modernization Top gun With a 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: The Wandererthe actor believes he can work similar magic with his racing drama (which, like the original Top gunwas a Paramount film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott). Oh thunder Revivals have been attempted before — Paramount once rebooted the title as a TV show for Paramount+, an idea Cruise rejected.
Key factors include the project’s script (the studio is now open to potential writers) and the 62-year-old actor-producer’s packed schedule. Cruise is about to start shooting. The Revenant Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s mysterious next film for Warner Bros./Legendary is developing a Doug Liman film for Universal that’s set in the original location, and he’s developing a sequel. The wanderer (which both Cruise and Paramount consider a top priority).
“He’s talking. [to Paramount] about Top gun And Days of Thunder,” says a studio insider familiar with the talks. “It will be whoever comes together first script-wise. It depends on the idea and ultimately the script. (Sources say Cruise has script approval on all his projects).
Racing movies have recently become a ratings fad with the success of James Mangold’s 2019 picture. Ford vs. FerrariMichael Mann’s less successful 2023 racing drama The fugitiveand next year F1 – starring and directed by Brad Pitt. The wanderer Helmer Joseph Kosinski (who would seem to be the ideal choice for the helm thunderbut one imagines he wouldn’t be too keen on making back-to-back racing films). A resurgence is likely with a flurry of recent fast-car projects. thunder Even more difficult (imagine if The wanderer (released after three other Fighter Pilot films), but at least none of the other titles specifically explores the world of NASCAR racing, competing with the European-based world of Le Mans and Formula 1. The American style is completely different.
“I don’t think one [Days of Thunder sequel] A terrible idea,” the Paramount source added (the studio declined to comment for this story). “You would have said rewatch. Top gun It was a terrible idea. I will not discount that.”
Days of Thunder He certainly has his devotees, among them fans of Tony Scott and colleague Quentin Tarantino. “My favorite hands down [racing movie] is Days of Thunder“Director Reference was made As stated in 2013. “Yeah, yeah, you laugh, but seriously, I’m a big fan. Sure, it had a big budget, big stars and a big director in Tony Scott, but it had a lot of early-gen fun. [American International Picture racing] I just don’t think about movies [the genre] It works if you take the whole thing very seriously.” thunder It is also remembered as the film where Cruise met his ex-wife of 11 years, Nicole Kidman, who worked on the project as a neurosurgeon, and Cruise’s USAC racer Cole Turkle. Was interested.
After that, the writer is eagerly anticipating director Christopher McQuarrie. Mission: Impossible 8which is finally wrapped and in post-production. The project has had a long and difficult journey, with the budget reportedly approaching $400 million amid production delays — partly due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
While the franchise is very popular and has the seventh entry of 2022. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1 A massive rave (scoring over 94% among both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes), the final film had a budget of around $300 million before marketing and was considered a disappointing box office return (global at $566 million). Making matters more challenging for the upcoming film, Dead reckoning Ended on a cliffhanger—breaking everyone’s tradition. M: Me Adventure is a stand-alone entry where each film is completely accessible to new audiences. Paramount has since dropped “Part One” under the title of 7. The title of the new film will be revealed in the next two weeks after Paramount drops the first film. M: I 8 The trailer
An interesting wrinkle: Paramount has been interested in promoting. M: I 8 as the “final” entry in the action franchise as a way to increase audience interest. Yet Cruise has been averse to saying a public goodbye to Ethan Hunt – not surprising, considering the precocious young actor was quoted last year as saying he hoped he would Will continue to make. M: Me movies in his 80s (“Harrison Ford is a legend, I have 20 years to meet him,” Cruise said. Mission: Impossible movies until I’m his age.”)
Still, Paramount is optimistic. M: I 8 And is keen to bring the film to Cannes – a move that has recently gained a reputation as a high risk for big-budget mainstream projects, given the festival’s critical reception. how did it happen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny And Horizon: An American Saga Months before each title opens. In the case of at least M: I 8the fair is well pre-arranged. M: I 8 Opens wide in theaters (Cannes runs May 13-24 M: I 8 release date is May 23), so any critical barbs from France will come at the same time, or soon after, that the film has had its world premiere and domestic critical exposure.
“I think Tom is in a good place,” noted the studio insider. “And I think so Mission It would be really great.”
– Pamela McClintock and Mia Gallupo contributed to this report.
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