New Bites! RoboCop, Days of Thunder and Extraction Ride Again
After months of speculation, it appears Days of Thunder 2 is finally moving full speed ahead. Rumours of a sequel gained momentum last year when former NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon revealed that Tom Cruise had personally told him the project was happening while the pair met during the production of Mission: Impossible. Now, fresh reports indicate that Paramount has officially begun moving forward, with 50/50 director Jonathan Levine in talks to helm the long-awaited follow-up from a screenplay by Without Remorse writer Will Staples. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has also fuelled excitement, teasing during the promotional tour for F1 that Cruise has been developing ambitious ideas to ensure the sequel delivers something audiences have never seen before.
Released in 1990, Days of Thunder starred Cruise as hot-headed racing prodigy Cole Trickle, an open-wheel driver who transitions into the fiercely competitive world of NASCAR under the guidance of veteran crew chief Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall). While there are no plot details for the sequel, the original remains one of Cruise’s most beloved action dramas and has developed a devoted following over the decades. Cruise’s schedule remains packed with Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, Christopher McQuarrie’s Broadsword, and a third Top Gun film are all in various stages of development, meaning it remains unclear when cameras will roll on Days of Thunder 2. However, with Paramount finally assembling a creative team, the sequel is closer to reality than ever before.
Amazon MGM Studios has officially greenlit a new live-action RoboCop television series, with horror maestro James Wan attached as an executive producer through Blumhouse’s Atomic Monster banner. Veteran television writer Peter Ocko (Lodge 49, The Office) will serve as showrunner, overseeing a series that aims to honour Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi classic. Wan has said the show will preserve the biting satire, action and social commentary that made the original film a classic, while exploring its relevance in the increasingly use of artificial intelligence, surveillance and corporate influence.
The announcement marks the return of one of cinema’s most enduring cybernetic lawmen after more than a decade away from the screen. While 2014’s RoboCop reboot starring Joel Kinnaman was serviceable, Verhoeven’s original film remains a landmark of science fiction. Although Amazon has yet to reveal a release window, the combination of Ocko’s storytelling and Wan’s cinematic knowhow has the potential to introduce RoboCop to a new generation while satisfying long-time fans eager to return to the crime-ridden streets of Detroit.
Netflix has officially confirmed that Extraction 3 has entered production, with Chris Hemsworth set to reprise his role as black-ops mercenary Tyler Rake. The streaming service marked the announcement by releasing a first-look image from the set featuring Hemsworth alongside returning director Sam Hargrave and co-star Idris Elba, whose mysterious character was introduced at the end of Extraction 2. Also returning for the third instalment are Golshifteh Farahani as Nik Khan and Olga Kurylenko as Mia. Although Netflix has yet to announce a release date, Hargrave has previously suggested the action sequel is targeting a 2027 debut.
The Extraction franchise has become one of Netflix’s biggest success stories. The original 2020 film attracted more than 99 million viewers in its first four weeks, while Extraction 2 went on to amass over 129 million views within its first 66 days, cementing the series as one of the streamer’s most popular original properties. That success has already led to an expanded shared universe, with a South Korean spin-off film, Tygo, currently in development. Fans can get their first glimpse of Tyler Rake’s latest mission with the newly released production image from Extraction 3.
