NASCAR Commissioner Breaks Silence on Rumors over Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder 2

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps finally addressed rumors of a Days of Thunder sequel with Hollywood icon Tom Cruise.

NASCAR Commissioner Breaks Silence on Rumors over Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder 2

Steve Phelps (image via Reuters) and Tom Cruise (image via People.com)

Racing has got the attention of Hollywood once again. Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton‘s dream film has just hit the theaters in the US with Brad Pitt taking the lead role. Amid the hype surrounding this massive project, NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has finally responded to demands for a sequel to Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder.

Days of Thunder is regarded as one of the biggest racing films of all time. Tom Cruise, who acts as Cole Trickle, an aspiring young driver, won over fans with his incredible performance, inspiring millions to follow the stock car series.

Recently, the Hollywood icon even confirmed that he is in talks to potentially come back on the big screen as Trickle three decades later. This has sparked buzz amongst NASCAR fans, who grew up watching Days of Thunder.

Steve Phelps recently revealed that Days of Thunder 2 was not ruled out. Though, the NASCAR commissioner hinted that the sport was already working on a show at the moment. Phelps left the door open for a Days of Thunder sequel, without providing any concrete timeline.

However, he even stated that NASCAR was not just limited to a single project, with several ideas being worked upon in the pipeline by a team of writers. This could potentially indicate that the stock car series has some massive plans to immerse fans in the near future.

So, there’s a show, and I’m not suggesting this is where we are going, but back in the day, around Top Gun, same director Jerry Bruckheimer, and Days of Thunder. So, will there be a Days of Thunder 2? … We’ll see where all that goes. But there are other writers, content, screenplays that are being written now, and we’re excited about them being in the future for us.

Steve Phelps told CNBC

Does Steve Phelps want Days of Thunder 2 to copy Lewis Hamilton’s F1 film style?

The F1 film is undoubtedly one of the biggest projects undertaken in motorsport in recent years. Several parts of the movie were shot during live race weekends, with real drivers and teams appearing on several occasions.

Lewis Hamilton’s film, co-produced by Apple, is estimated to have a budget of over $300 million. Considering the first reaction from critics and fans, it seems that the movie will easily earn a substantial profit worldwide.

Lewis Hamilton and Brad Pitt (via Getty)
Lewis Hamilton and Brad Pitt (via Getty)

Steve Phelps was open to the idea of having a film similar to the style of the Brad Pitt-starrer. The NASCAR commissioner pointed out that a large part of the F1 movie’s start was actually focused on IMSA.

Brad Pitt’s character Sonny Hayes wins the 24 Hours of Daytona in an exciting sequence, before he makes his way to a Formula 1 return with APXGP, a fictional racing team. Phelps was quite happy to see IMSA being portrayed in an exciting manner in the film, which could certainly attract audiences.

Would I like to have an F1-style movie? And it’s pretty cool, because we talked about IMSA very briefly before, I haven’t seen the movie, but the start of the movie in the first 15, 20 minutes is taking place at the Daytona 500, and it’s the 24 Hours of Daytona, or the Rolex. And that’s how, essentially, he qualifies apparently to then go [to F1].

Steve Phelps added

It seems to be the perfect time for NASCAR to bring back Days of Thunder. Tom Cruise would once again light up the big screen as Cole Trickle, making the project a commercial success.

A remake of the iconic film will expose the story to new audiences, potentially increasing NASCAR’s fanbase. Although, with no concrete plans yet, even if the film was given the green light tomorrow, it would take a couple of years till it can reach cinemas.

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