Tom Cruise Visits Paramount to Celebrate Skydance Takeover and Talk About Iconic Film Returns

Paramount and Skydance are shaking up their movie slate as they look to revitalize classic franchises while shelving some long-gestating projects.

One of the productions put into turnaround is the Miles Teller-led sports drama “Winter Games,” but the studio is pushing forward with sequels to familiar hits.

Skydance has expressed interest in a fresh “Star Trek” movie, though the studio has moved away from bringing back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the cast of the J.J. Abrams reboot.

Meanwhile, reports claim that Paramount is actively working on sequels to “Top Gun” and “Days of Thunder.” Tom Cruise recently visited the Paramount lot to congratulate the Skydance team on its takeover and discuss returning to these franchises, as well as exploring potential new collaborations, sources say.

Some of the films in development are being described as “America-centric,” including a cowboy-and-dog thriller about a missing daughter that has been likened to a Western version of “Taken.”

Miles Teller, who previously pitched a follow-up to his “Top Gun: Maverick” character, known as Top Gun: Rooster, told Variety in May 2022 that he had been in discussions about a sequel with Tom Cruise. By July 2022, Teller confirmed the conversations were ongoing.

Additionally, in November 2024, it was reported that Cruise was in final talks to star in and produce a “Days of Thunder” sequel, which is being developed alongside an untitled follow-up to “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Director Joseph Kosinski shared his own dream project in June with GQ Magazine, imagining a crossover between “Days of Thunder” and “F1,” starring Cruise and Brad Pitt. “Right now, it’d be Cole Trickle [Cruise’s Days of Thunder character]. We find out that he and Sonny Hayes [Pitt’s character in the F1 movie] 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?” Kosinski said.

With Cruise’s involvement and Skydance’s new leadership at Paramount, fans of these franchises can expect more ambitious projects and unexpected collaborations in the coming years.

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