Summary
- F1 is a hit and plans for a sequel are already in motion with positive reviews and good box office returns.
- Kosinski wants a crossover sequel involving Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder character, Cole Trickle, in the F1 world.
- Plans for a Days of Thunder sequel are in development, and Kosinski’s past with Cruise poses an exciting possibility.
F1 director Joseph Kosinski has his eyes set on a unique sequel that could involve Tom Cruise’s classic racing film, Days of Thunder. F1 stars Brad Pitt as a seasoned driver brought in to help an up-and-coming driver in the intense world of Formula One racing. Kosinski utilized numerous tricks developed for his box office juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick, allowing them to film races like never before.
Kosinski’s past relationship with Tom Cruise may also play a big part in their future sequel plans. While news of a potential F1 sequel has quickly spread, Cruise has been developing a follow-up to his movie Days of Thunder. With both racing films developing sequels, the director’s unique sequel idea could end up being very real.
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F1 Is A Hit, And There Are Already Plans For A Sequel
F1 is repeating Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick success with both critics and audiences, as reviews for the fast-paced film have been glowing so far. While it may offer similar story beats to prior films in the genre, the spectacle on display is a rollercoaster of fun, and paying audiences showed up for it. At the time of writing, F1 has earned $166 million worldwide. That amount is continuing to rise as its theatrical run in the United States continues. Some foreign markets where the sport is more popular are still to come, meaning that its international box office return will likely be significant.
With the positive reviews surrounding the Brad Pitt-led racing film, news of a sequel quickly hit, with early stages of development apparently underway. Despite the current success of F1, the movie still has a long way to go in order to earn back its staggeringly high budget, which is rumored to be between $250-300 million. It may need to clear $500 million or more to be considered profitable at the box office. However, even if it doesn’t earn back its budget, F1 is building goodwill on positive reviews. Audiences are already excited for more, and a sequel involving Tom Cruise could boost the film’s notoriety to new financial heights.
F1 Director Joseph Kosinski May Want A Crossover With Tom Cruise’s Days Of Thunder
Kosinski recently revealed that his idea for a sequel to F1 may involve Tom Cruise and his character from the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Days of Thunder falls into Cruise’s wheelhouse, seeing him embody a hot-shot young driver in the exciting world of stock car racing who excels at the sport and earns an opportunity to compete at the highest levels. Cruise played Cole Trickle in the film, with Kosinski’s F1 sequel plans focusing on a crossover with the character. Kosinki told GQ:
Well, right now, it’d be Cole Trickle, who was [Cruise’s] Days of Thunder character, we find out that he and [Brad Pitt’s] Sonny Hayes have a past. They were rivals at some point, maybe crossed paths […] I heard about this epic go-kart battle on Interview With the Vampire that Brad and Tom had, and who wouldn’t pay to see those two go head-to-head on the track?
While Cole Trickle was not an F1 driver in Days Of Thunder, his character could make a similar transition to the sport, much like Pitt’s character did in F1. Furthermore, given the talent in several types of driving, the sequel could lean into multiple racing angles, allowing it to embrace something unique. However, nothing is official, as it was merely an idea from Kosinski. However, it’s also worth noting that Cruise was already developing a sequel to Days of Thunder.
A Days Of Thunder Sequel Is Already In Development, & Kosinski Has A History With Tom Cruise
Days of Thunder producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that Cruise is developing a sequel to the racing movie. While those plans are still in the early stages, the ball has been rolling on the project. Now that F1 is a hit that has a sequel in similar stages of development, Kosinski’s comments about a crossover take on a whole new level of excitement, especially when his past with Cruise comes into play.
Kosinski was the director behind the action spectacle Top Gun: Maverick, teaming up with Cruise to put cameras in cockpits and actors in jets to capture aerial footage unlike anything audiences had seen before. However, Top Gun was not their first collaboration. They worked together previously on the criminally underrated 2013 sci-fi film Oblivion, costarring Melissa Leo, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Morgan Freeman. The thrilling sci-fi story saw Cruise’s character, Jack, unraveling a mystery surrounding himself and the fate of the world.
While sequel plans for F1 and Days of Thunder are still up in the air, Kosinski’s relationship with Cruise makes the possibility that the projects merge even more likely. The movie presents fresh narrative ideas, and the studios financing it would surely see the potential financial windfall it could garner at the worldwide box office. F1 is still early in its box office run, and is likely to earn a substantial return in the coming weeks, which sets the stage for racing sequels that could reunite Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.