Days of Thunder 2 is coming in 2028.
Today, Tom Cruise announced that the feature film is officially in production, and he will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle. Anne Hathaway will co-star, playing a team owner and engineer.
They shared the news via a post on Instagram, as they banter back and forth about how to reveal it, before eventually getting out of the way and revealing a green race car with the title and release year on it.
Of course, Hathaway is visibly pregnant, and she joked that she had to have her baby before they started filming but she would be ready soon and they’re looking forward to it:
The Hollywood Reporter, previously reported that a Days of Thunder sequel had been green lit, and will be directed by Jonathan Levine, with Tom Cruise once again set to star in the movie, as he did the original.
There have been plenty of rumors swirling over the last several months that a Days of Thunder remake is on the horizon, and of course, Tom Cruise shined in the 1990 film. It brought more eyes and attention to stock car racing, and it’s one of the first films of his lengthy career where he did some of his own stunts and really dove deep into his role (he actually raced in the months prior to filming).
The original Days of Thunder was directed by Tony Scott and starred Cruise, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Michael Rooker and Cary Elwes. It was released in 1990 and put Nicole Kidman in the spotlight in a huge way, and it was her first time in a movie with Cruise.
It will be interesting to see how the dynamic works with Hathaway and Cruise, as they have never co-starred in a movie together, but she’s been having a heck of a run lately with movies like “Mother Mary,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “The Odyssey” and “The End of Oak Street,” with another one, “Verity,” set to release soon. Of course, I’m biased because I grew up on “The Princess Diaries” and have loved her ever since,
The new Days of Thunder will be filmed for IMAX, but fans will have to wait a while for its official release as it’s not schedule to hit theaters on June 2, 2028. As aforementioned, Hathaway is very pregnant right now, so it’s going to be a little while before they even start filming, but it’s exciting to think that a huge blockbuster NASCAR movie is on the way,
Levine and Paramount are currently in negotiations for the contract, and while most of the further details are still very much under wraps, they did tell HR that the script is being written by Will Staples, and Cruise will once again star in it. Of course, he played hotshot NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in the original, and is reprising his role now some 36 years later.
It will be really interesting to see what they do with the storyline too considering Cruise will be playing a much older driver, and there are a ton of different directions they could go. It’s one of the most beloved racing movies, and they certainly have their work cut out for them. Stay tuned…
