Anne Hathaway is getting behind the wheel—or at least getting very close to the action—for Days of Thunder 2. The actress has officially joined Tom Cruise in the movie, and we finally have a release date too! Do you want to know all the details? Keep reading!
Anne Hathaway Is Joining Days of Thunder 2
Yes, as you read, Hathaway is joining Cruise in Days of Thunder 2, which Paramount Pictures is already fast-tracking as Cruise’s next project. He shared the news with a photo—and a video—of himself and Hathaway leaning against a NASCAR race car in Daytona.
Jonathan Levine is set to direct the sequel, while Will Staples is writing the screenplay. Cruise will also produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. We don’t know much about the story yet, but Hathaway is expected to play a team owner and engineer. Cruise will return as Cole Trickle, the NASCAR driver he played so many years ago.
What Was Days of Thunder About?
Released in the summer of 1990, Days of Thunder followed Cole Trickle, a hot-headed rookie stock car driver who joins NASCAR and has to overcome a whole lot of personal and professional challenges on his way to success.
The original was directed by the late Tony Scott and written by Robert Towne, with Cruise himself conceiving the story. Don Simpson and Bruckheimer produced the movie, which also starred Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams and Michael Rooker. At the box office, Days of Thunder made $82.6 million domestically and $157.9 million worldwide.
Now, more than 35 years later, we’re going back to the racetrack—and Anne Hathaway is coming with us!
It’s also another example of something Tom Cruise has been doing quite a lot lately: returning to his hits. Top Gun came back with Top Gun: Maverick, while Mission: Impossible has continued through new installments for years, and now Days of Thunder is getting another chapter. Cruise clearly isn’t quite ready to leave his old successes behind, and honestly, we’re tired of that. But Hathaway is part of this, so we’re ready to see.
Days of Thunder 2 premieres in theaters on June 2, 2028.
