‘Days of Thunder 2:’ Here’s What We Know

It’s official – almost 40 years after Tom Cruise first raced around a NASCAR track in “Days of Thunder,” he’s coming back for a sequel!

Cruise announced the new film over the weekend at Daytona International Speedway, in front of about 40 race-car drivers. He reportedly told them: “It’s not just about racing, It’s about the community and the people here. There’s something very special about racers and the whole community. It’s a culture, and I was very proud to be able to reflect that in the first ‘Days of Thunder,’ and I am honored to share it with the world. That’s basically what we’re going to really go for with this one. Give the audience that opportunity to understand what it is as a team, as a community, what it is for NASCAR, and the speed, the excitement and all that danger and stuff.”

Cruise followed that up with a special video for social media, with Anne Hathaway, who will also star in the sequel!

Days of Thunder. Summer 2028. pic.twitter.com/rD3QLXfUyi

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) August 29, 2026

Cruise will reprise his role as driver Cole Trickle. Hathaway will play a team owner and engineer. Jonathan Levine will direct, and Cruise will produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.

In the original film in 1990, Cruise’s Trickle gets recruited to a new NASCAR team by a retired racing legend, played by Robert Duvall. The first film also starred Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid and John C. Reilly.

Right now, Paramount says the new film will be in theaters in the summer of 2028!