Anne Hathaway is heading to the NASCAR circuit with Tom Cruise. The Oscar winner has joined Cruise for Paramount’s upcoming sequel to “Days of Thunder,” nearly four decades after Cruise first stepped behind the wheel as hotshot driver Cole Trickle. The film will see Cruise reuniting with producer Jerry Bruckheimer after the billion-dollar success of “Top Gun: Maverick,” their other classic property revival.
Cruise and Hathaway confirmed the news themselves on August 29 through a cheeky teaser filmed at Daytona International Speedway. In the clip, the pair stand beside a NASCAR car as Cruise asks Hathaway what they should do next. A very pregnant Hathaway then replies, “I’m gonna have this baby, and then we’re going to make this movie.” Cruise then confirms that the sequel is arriving in summer of 2028.
The casting gives the sequel a fresh dynamic. Cruise will return as Cole Trickle, while Hathaway will play a race team owner and engineer. Paramount has kept the story under wraps, although the role suggests that Hathaway’s character will have substantial expertise within the racing world. Jonathan Levine will direct from a screenplay by Will Staples, with Cruise producing alongside Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.
The original “Days of Thunder” arrived in 1990 under director Tony Scott. Cruise’s Trickle was recruited to drive for a new NASCAR team, with Robert Duvall playing his mentor and Randy Quaid as team owner Tim Daland. Nicole Kidman played neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki, who became Trickle’s romantic interest. The movie also featured Cary Elwes and John C. Reilly, plus appearances from real NASCAR drivers. It earned $157.9 million worldwide.
The sequel’s creative approach also reflects Cruise’s interest in making the racing itself a major theatrical experience. The film will be shot for IMAX and released exclusively in theaters, with Dolby Cinema and 4DX presentations planned. Production is expected to begin in early 2027 – after Hathaway gives birth as she remarked in the teaser.