Remember when Tom Cruise reportedly visited the set of Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling's "Star Wars: Starfighter"? Turns out it wasn't just a friendly pit stop. Cruise was actively recruiting, and the set visit now looks like part of a pitch to bring Levy aboard one of his most personal legacy projects.
According to Puck's Matt Belloni, Cruise "aggressively" courted Levy to direct the "Days of Thunder" sequel, but Levy ultimately chose to make Marvel's "Ghost Rider" with Gosling instead. The decision keeps Levy in business with his "Starfighter" star. It also cements his place at Disney: the "Deadpool & Wolverine" director just signed a new TV deal with the studio.
The job instead went to Jonathan Levine, whose eclectic résumé includes "50/50," "Warm Bodies" and "Long Shot." His hire was likely helped by the glowing test scores for his upcoming Paramount film "Mr. Irrelevant." That film is a true-story football drama starring David Corenswet, and it opens on Christmas Day.
Cruise trying to hire Levy for his ‘Days of Thunder’ tells you everything you need to know.
Now, I've got nothing personal against Levy, he seems like a nice guy who knows how to deliver a four-quadrant crowd-pleaser for studios, on time and on budget, but let's not pretend he's a filmmaker with a distinct voice. And that's exactly the point. Cruise doesn't want an auteur behind the camera on these legacy sequels, he wants a slick, dependable technician who won't fight him on anything.
Remember, this is the same playbook Cruise used on "Top Gun: Maverick." When Joseph Kosinski got that gig, his résumé was "Tron: Legacy," "Oblivion" (with Cruise, of course) and "Only the Brave" — polished, handsomely shot studio product, but hardly the work of someone anyone was calling a visionary. Kosinski was a guy who could make things look expensive and keep the machine humming while Cruise and McQuarrie steered the ship, and the result was a $1.5 billion blockbuster.
Paramount has set "Days of Thunder 2" for release on June 2, 2028. Cruise returns as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle. Anne Hathaway is the only other cast member announced so far, playing a race team owner and engineer. There's no word yet on whether original co-stars like Michael Rooker, Cary Elwes or John C. Reilly will return.
Dan Trachtenberg is in talks to write and direct an MCU movie for the Mutant era. Per the report, it's a theatrical feature. It's also a single-character film, not an ensemble piece.