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Everything we know about a possible Days of Thunder sequel with Tom Cruise

Talks are intensifying regarding a potential sequel to Tom Cruise's 1990 NASCAR movie, Days of Thunder

Nick DeGroot

Edited: Jul 1, 2025, 4:06 PM

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Tom Cruise

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The new F1 movie starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris has been a hit with a stellar opening weekend at the box office. And with its arrival, rumors are flying about another potential racing movie that could be in the works -- Days of Thunder 2, a sequel to the 1990 NASCAR film starring Tom Cruise.

Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the hit Formula 1 film, also produced Days of Thunder, which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary. The film remains both relevant and beloved by NASCAR fans today, but could a sequel really be in the cards?

After sifting through all the rumors and reports, here's a look at what the actual people close to the situation have had to say about it:

Cruise, who portrayed NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in the original film, was asked about another Top Gun sequel on the Today show in Australia over a month ago, and ended up bringing up Days of Thunder.

“All of these things we’re working on," said Cruise. "We’re discussing Days of Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick. There are numerous other films that we’re actively working on right now.”

Days of Thunder filming

Photo by: ISC Archives - Getty Images for NASCAR

Over a week ago, Bruckheimer (Producer for F1: The Movie and Days of Thunder) was asked on Entertainment Tonight about a new NASCAR film and he did not shy away from it. "There's always new technologies, new ways to do things and see things," Bruckheimer told ET. "Tom (Cruise) is such a great individual. (He) comes up with phenomenal ideas. We'll have something really exciting for an audience once we pull it together."

And this week, Bruckheimer joined The Rich Eisen Show and directly said, “Tom wants to do another Days of Thunder." He went on to explain that "we’re still working on ideas on that" in regards to the script, clearly indicating that things are in motion for this long-awaited sequel.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, who has been long-time friends with Cruise, has also stated that Days of Thunder 2 appears to be in development. He was at the premiere for Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and according to Road and Track, had an interesting interaction with Cruise there: "I've known Tom [Cruise] for many years, and was on set this past year for Mission: Impossible. I went to the premiere and the first word out of his mouth is, 'We're doing it. We're doing Days of Thunder 2.'"

Tom Cruise and Jeff Gordon, 2015 NASCAR awards banquet

Photo by: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Joseph Kosinski, who directed the new F1 film, even teased a potential crossover between the world of Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt's character in F1: The Movie) and Cole Tricke during a recent interview with GQ.

The original Days of Thunder film cost about $60 million to create and ended up making just over $150 million at the worldwide box office.

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