It’s time to warm up the engines, as the long-awaited sequel to the 1990 racing classic Days of Thunder has been greenlit. According to The Hollywood Reporter, original star Tom Cruise is set to return, with Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50) in talks to helm the project.

Additional details, including other cast members and story specifics, remain firmly under the hood, but Will Staples, who previously worked on video games such as Call of Duty 3: Modern Warfare and the Michael B. Jordan-led action film Without Remorse, will pen the screenplay. On top of reprising his role as NASCAR driver and Daytona 500 champ Cole Trickle, Cruise is also producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer.

The original feature was directed by the late Tony Scott, reteaming him with Cruise following their stint on 1986’s Top Gun. While it didn’t take off as high as the latter, it still became a memorable favourite among genre enthusiasts, with Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Nicole Kidman, and Cary Elwes among the stacked cast. Real-life NASCAR racers, such as Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant, enjoyed cameo appearances as well.

Days of Thunder 2 won’t be the only sequel lined up for Cruise. The action veteran will head back to the danger zone in Top Gun 3, which is currently in the works and has no release date. As for Levine, the filmmaker’s next pic, Mr Irrelevant, is attached to Paramount and sees David Corenswet swap out his Superman outfit for the New York Giants jersey of John Tuggle, the “Mr Irrelevant” of the 1983 draft.