Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway will co-star for the first time in an upcoming sequel to the 1990 racing movie Days of Thunder, the actors announced across social media.
The 64-year-old actor and 43-year-old Odyssey star revealed the project through a promotional photograph and video recorded at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. In the photo, the two Hollywood veterans lean against a green and yellow race car parked at the speedway track.
Cruise will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in the action sports film, while Hathaway plays a racing team owner and engineer. Cruise is also producing the feature alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.
Paramount Pictures is producing the sequel, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 2, 2028. According to Deadline, the film will be shot for Imax and shown in Dolby cinemas, 4DX, and premium large-screen formats. Jonathan Levine will direct the feature from a screenplay written by Will Staples.
The original Days of Thunder holds additional prominence in Hollywood history as the project where Cruise famously met his ex-wife Nicole Kidman on set.
Social media announcement and video details
In the promotional video released online, Cruise and Hathaway appeared coordinated in blue jeans. Cruise wore a pale blue button-up shirt with cuffed sleeves, while Hathaway wore a beige button-up shirt and a matching cowboy hat.
The video opened with Hathaway warmly greeting viewers with "Hey!" while leaning into the camera. Her pregnancy bump remained covered during the clip as the actress awaits her third child with her husband, Adam Shulman.
The co-stars then walked over to the parked vehicle, which featured a decal reading: "Days of Thunder 2, summer 2028."
Standing next to the race car, Cruise asked Hathaway, "Now what?" to which she echoed, "Now what? Let's make the movie!" She then quipped, "I'm gonna have this baby, and then we're going to make this movie." Cruise approved, replying, "That's a good idea. You have the baby and then we're gonna make the movie."
Original film success and cast memories
The original 1990 film Days of Thunder was directed by the late Tony Scott. The production earned $82.6 million at the domestic box office and grossed $157.9 million worldwide. Beside Cruise and Kidman, the original cast featured Cary Elwes, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Caroline Williams, and Michael Rooker.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight earlier this year, Elwes spoke about being impressed by Cruise's dedication during filming. The actors performed the majority of their own stunt driving while portraying race car drivers in the movie.
Elwes recalled that Cruise crashed his vehicle into a wall on his first day of driving, noting that his co-star's last words before impact were "Hello, wall." Elwes told Entertainment Tonight: "Tom put a car in the wall, actually, on his first day of driving, and these things are not cheap. And he was so funny on film."
Elwes also praised the actor's professionalism on set. "He's a terrific guy. He really is so fun to work with, so, so professional and so supportive of everybody," Elwes said.
