Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway Will Return NASCAR Fiction to Theaters With a “Days of Thunder” Sequel

A legacy sequel enters the starting grid

Tom Cruise announced August 29 that he will reprise race-car driver Cole Trickle in a follow-up to the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Anne Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer, and Paramount has scheduled the film for June 2, 2028.

Jonathan Levine is set to direct from a script by Will Staples. Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper are producing, according to the Associated Press. The announcement arrived around a NASCAR Cup Series event at Daytona International Speedway, making the connection to racing culture explicit.

The news confirms a project, not a completed movie. Detailed plot information, supporting cast and production schedule remain limited.

Why the 1990 film endured

The original paired Tony Scott's glossy action style with a fictional driver's attempt to master stock-car racing. Reviews were mixed, but the film became a reference point for NASCAR audiences and introduced many viewers to the sport's language, rivalries and team structure.

A sequel nearly four decades later inevitably carries the legacy of Top Gun: Maverick, which showed that an older Cruise character could anchor a practical-action spectacle while passing attention to a newer generation. That comparison is commercially useful but not proof that the same formula will work again.

Hathaway's announced role as an owner and engineer suggests a perspective beyond the driver's seat. Whether the screenplay gives that role technical credibility will matter to viewers who know modern racing.

Authenticity will be the central promise

Contemporary audiences can recognize the difference between access to real tracks and generic digital scenery. NASCAR cooperation, safety rules, camera technology and the amount of practical driving will shape how convincingly the film represents competition.

The project also arrives when theaters prize recognizable intellectual property. Nostalgia can earn an opening weekend, but a 2028 film must still create stakes for viewers who never saw the 1990 original. For now, the factual headline is a dated studio project with two stars—not a guarantee about quality, box office or production details that have not been announced.

Limits and what to watch

The film has a release date and principal stars, but an announcement is not a finished production; schedules, cast and creative details can change before 2028.

The next development to watch is the start of principal photography, a completed cast, official title and release of a trailer.