As a lifelong fan of Tom Cruise’s action-packed adventures, I can confidently say that the man never ceases to amaze me. From scaling the Burj Khalifa in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” to outrunning a nuclear bomb in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” his fearless performances have left audiences spellbound.
Tom Cruise plans to create a follow-up for another one of his iconic action movies, and the choice might surprise you.
The actor is discussing with Paramount Studio the possibility of making another movie similar to his 1990 film about NASCAR racing, titled “Days of Thunder.
Initially, the concept appears quite daring. The movie “Thunder” didn’t exactly set the box office on fire upon its debut (earning $157 million worldwide against a production budget of $60 million), and it garnered mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. However, inspired by the success of updating the 1984 classic “Top Gun” in the form of this year’s blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” the actor is confident that he can replicate that magic with his racing drama (which, like the original “Top Gun,” was a Paramount film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott). Previously, there had been discussions about reviving “Thunder” as a TV series for Paramount+, but this idea was rejected by Cruise.
Important aspects of the project involve its screenplay (currently being sought by writers) and Tom Cruise’s busy work schedule. Cruise is preparing to begin filming for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming Warner Bros./Legendary movie, a mystery film titled The Revenant, as well as developing a project with director Doug Liman for Universal that takes place in space. Additionally, he is working on a follow-up to Maverick, which both Cruise and Paramount consider a high priority.
According to a source privy to the conversations, he’s discussing both “Top Gun” and “Days of Thunder” with Paramount. The project that materializes first in terms of a script will be the one they move forward with. The outcome hinges on the idea and, ultimately, the quality of the script. (Notably, Cruise has the final say over all scripts associated with his projects).
Lately, racing films have gained significant popularity, boosted by the success of James Mangold’s 2019 movie “Ford v Ferrari,” Michael Mann’s less successful 2023 film “Ferrari,” and an upcoming one titled “F1” featuring Brad Pitt. The director of “Top Gun: Maverick,” Joseph Kosinski, would seem a good fit for “Thunder,” but it’s doubtful he’d want to make two consecutive racing movies. The abundance of fast-car-on-track projects makes the idea of reviving “Thunder” even more challenging (it’s similar to if “Top Gun” had followed three other fighter pilot films). Fortunately, none of the competing titles focus on NASCAR racing, which has a distinctly American feel, contrasting with the European background of Le Mans and Formula 1.
The insider from Paramount Studios didn’t entirely reject the notion of a sequel to [Days of Thunder]. In fact, they suggested that just as some people might have doubted reviving Top Gun, this idea shouldn’t be completely dismissed.
Without a doubt, the movie Days of Thunder has its loyal followers, including Quentin Tarantino, a fan and collaborator of Tony Scott. In 2013, the director publicly declared that his favorite racing film was none other than Days of Thunder. Despite the laughter it may provoke, he genuinely admires it. He’s a big fan, indeed. Although it boasted a substantial budget, star-studded cast, and the direction of Tony Scott, what truly sets it apart is its resemblance to the carefree spirit of early American International Picture racing movies. In Tarantino’s opinion, the genre loses its charm when taken too seriously.
Subsequently, we have writer-director Christopher McQuarrie’s highly anticipated film, Mission: Impossible 8, now completed and in post-production. The movie has faced a challenging production path, with a rumored budget nearing $400 million, due partly to delays caused by the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
Despite the success and positive reception of the latest Mission: Impossible installment, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” which garnered over 94% approval on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and viewers, the movie’s production costs prior to marketing were a hefty $300 million, and its box office earnings were deemed underwhelming ($566 million worldwide). To make things more difficult for the upcoming film, “Dead Reckoning” ended with a cliffhanger, breaking the tradition of each Mission: Impossible movie being a self-contained story. Paramount Pictures has since removed the “Part One” from the title of the seventh film. The new movie’s title will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks when Paramount releases the first trailer for Mission: Impossible 8.
One intriguing wrinkle: Paramount has been interested in promoting M:I 8 as the “final” entry in the action franchise as a way of boosting audience interest. Yet Cruise has been against saying a public goodbye to Ethan Hunt — not surprising, considering the preternaturally youthful actor was quoted last year as saying he hopes to keep making M:I movies into his 80s. (“Harrison Ford is a legend, I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him,” Cruise said. “I hope to keep making Mission: Impossible films until I’m his age.”)
Nevertheless, Paramount remains hopeful about the release of M:I 8, and is eager to debut the film at Cannes, a decision that’s been seen as risky for large-scale mainstream productions recently due to the festival’s less than favorable reviews for films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Horizon: An American Saga, which happened months before their respective releases. Interestingly, the screening at Cannes coincides with the release of M:I 8 in theaters (Cannes runs from May 13 to 24, while the release date for M:I 8 is May 23), so any negative criticism from France will be voiced around the same time or shortly after the movie has already had its global premiere and domestic screenings for critics.
According to the studio source, Tom seems to be doing well, and they believe that ‘Mission’ is going to turn out fantastic.
— Pamela McClintock and Mia Galuppo contributed to this report
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2024-11-01 23:55