Tom Cruise is returning for ‘Days of Thunder’ sequel with Anne Hathaway

Tom Cruise is returning to one of the most recognizable roles from the early years of his blockbuster career.

Cruise will once again play NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in a new Days of Thunder movie, with Anne Hathaway joining him for a sequel arriving nearly four decades after the original racing film.

The project was officially announced Saturday, Aug. 29, at Daytona International Speedway ahead of NASCAR's regular-season finale.

Paramount Pictures has scheduled the movie to arrive in theaters June 2, 2028.

Anne Hathaway joins Tom Cruise

Hathaway will play a NASCAR team owner and engineer in the new movie, putting her character directly into the racing world surrounding Cruise's Cole Trickle.

The two stars appeared together at Daytona International Speedway as the project was announced, posing alongside a green-and-yellow stock car carrying the Days of Thunder name.

It will mark the first time Cruise and Hathaway have starred together in a movie.

Plot details remain largely under wraps, so exactly what brings Cole Trickle back to NASCAR has not yet been revealed.

Cole Trickle returns nearly 40 years later

The original Days of Thunder arrived in theaters in 1990.

Directed by Tony Scott, the movie starred Cruise as Cole Trickle, an ambitious young driver attempting to establish himself in NASCAR.

Robert Duvall played veteran crew chief Harry Hogge, while the cast also included Nicole Kidman, Michael Rooker, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and John C. Reilly.

The movie earned approximately $158 million worldwide and eventually developed a lasting following, particularly among racing fans.

By the time the new film reaches theaters, approximately 38 years will have passed since audiences first met Cole Trickle.

Jerry Bruckheimer is returning too

Cruise isn't the only major figure from the original movie coming back.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the 1990 film with Don Simpson, will return as a producer alongside Cruise and Tommy Harper.

Jonathan Levine has been selected to direct the new movie from a screenplay by Will Staples. Levine's previous films include 50/50, Warm Bodies and Long Shot.

The movie is also being developed as a major theatrical experience. Paramount says it will be filmed for IMAX and released in premium formats including Dolby Cinema and 4DX.

Could ‘Days of Thunder’ get the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ treatment?

Cruise has already demonstrated that an older movie can return decades later and become an enormous modern blockbuster.

Top Gun: Maverick arrived in 2022, 36 years after the original Top Gun, and ultimately earned more than $1.4 billion worldwide while receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

That success inevitably makes the return of Days of Thunder particularly interesting.

Both original films paired Cruise with director Tony Scott and placed his character inside a high-speed, highly competitive world — fighter jets in Top Gun and stock cars in Days of Thunder.

Scott died in 2012, meaning the new film will have a different director behind the camera.

NASCAR could benefit from Cole Trickle's return

The original movie became deeply connected with NASCAR culture even though its exaggerated depiction of the sport wasn't universally embraced when it was released.

Over time, however, Days of Thunder developed into a cult favorite among racing fans.

NASCAR figures have also expressed enthusiasm about another movie. Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon previously discussed the project with Cruise, while driver Denny Hamlin has said he met with filmmakers as they developed the new story.

The sequel could introduce Cole Trickle — and NASCAR itself — to an audience that wasn't even born when the original movie appeared in theaters.

When does the new ‘Days of Thunder’ come out?

Paramount has scheduled the new Days of Thunder for:

June 2, 2028

Cruise will star and produce, Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer, Jonathan Levine will direct, and Jerry Bruckheimer will return as a producer.

For now, the biggest unanswered questions involve the story itself — and whether any other surviving characters from the original movie will return.

But one thing is official: after nearly four decades, Cole Trickle is getting back behind the wheel.