Wafricnews - June 30, 2025

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise is once again fuelling the thrill of high-speed racing — but this time, it’s not in the cockpit of a fighter jet. The actor took to social media to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Days of Thunder, his iconic 1990 NASCAR-themed hit, while giving a nod to producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest box office success, F1, starring Brad Pitt.

“I always love the fun and adrenaline of a racing film,” Cruise posted on X, marking the dual milestones: the anniversary of his own classic and the new release of F1, which roared into cinemas this weekend. Cruise shared throwback photos from the Days of Thunder set, evoking nostalgia among fans of the Tony Scott-directed classic.

“Incredible to look back on this film today, and congratulations to Jerry, Brad, Joe and the whole F1 team on their release,” Cruise wrote, applauding the team behind the new Formula One-themed blockbuster.

Meanwhile, the comparisons between Cruise’s racing legacy and Pitt’s new role have sparked fresh excitement. At the F1 premiere, Pitt was asked whether he’d join Cruise in a Mission: Impossible-style thriller. He laughed off the idea of hanging off airplanes like Cruise but admitted their friendship goes back decades — including go-kart racing days in the ’90s where Cruise usually left him in the dust.

Adding even more fuel to the speculation, F1 director Joseph Kosinski, who previously worked with Cruise on Top Gun: Maverick, revealed there could be a crossover between Pitt’s F1 world and Cruise’s Days of Thunder legacy.

“Right now, [the sequel would] be Cole Trickle, who was Tom’s Days of Thunder character,” Kosinski teased in an interview with GQ. “We find out that he and Sonny Hayes [Brad Pitt’s character] have a past. Maybe they were rivals… who wouldn’t pay to see those two head-to-head on the track?”

The possibility of bringing Cruise and Pitt together in a racing drama has been circling for years. Back in 2013, both stars were linked to a project based on Go Like Hell by A.J. Baime, but it never made it to the screen with them in the cast. Instead, the story transformed into Ford v. Ferrari, starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, which went on to grab four Oscar nominations and gross over $225 million globally.

Now, with Cruise hinting at more Days of Thunder and Kosinski’s crossover dreams in the mix, fans of high-octane cinema might see the ultimate racing showdown between two of Hollywood’s biggest names.