The Days of Thunder sequel is officially happening. Tom Cruise is getting back behind the wheel as Cole Trickle, with Anne Hathaway joining him for a new racing movie heading exclusively to cinemas in 2028.
Paramount Pictures revealed the news at Daytona International Speedway, where Cruise and Hathaway appeared alongside a familiar green-and-yellow Days of Thunder race car.
Cruise will once again play NASCAR driver Cole Trickle. Meanwhile, Hathaway joins the film as a race team owner and engineer.
Even better, Paramount has confirmed the new Days of Thunder will be filmed for IMAX.
Nearly four decades after Tony Scott’s original movie hit cinemas, Cole Trickle is officially heading back to the track.
Tom Cruise Announces the Days of Thunder Sequel
Cruise and Hathaway revealed the movie together at Daytona, with Cruise also sharing the announcement across his social channels.
Days of Thunder. Summer 2028.
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise)
August 29, 2026
The video shows Cruise and Hathaway together at Daytona International Speedway, where Hathaway jokes that she’ll have her baby first and then they’ll go make the movie.
Paramount says the film will arrive exclusively in cinemas in 2028.
Cole Trickle Is Back
Cruise first played Cole Trickle in the original Days of Thunder in 1990.
That film introduced Cole as a talented but reckless young driver trying to prove himself in NASCAR.
Veteran crew chief Harry Hogge helped turn that raw talent into something more controlled. However, Cole still had plenty to learn on and off the track.
Now the character returns almost 40 years later.
Exactly where Cole finds himself in 2028 remains a mystery.
Is he still racing? Is he running his own team? Or could he find himself mentoring another young driver?
For now, Paramount isn’t revealing the story.
Anne Hathaway Joins Days of Thunder
Anne Hathaway will star opposite Cruise as a race team owner and engineer.
Importantly, that puts her character directly inside the racing world rather than simply watching from the sidelines.
The film will also mark the first time Cruise and Hathaway have starred together.
As a result, Paramount already has a huge pairing at the centre of the new movie before any further cast announcements arrive.
What About Nicole Kidman?
Nicole Kidman is another obvious name from the original film, although a return seems unlikely.
Kidman played Dr. Claire Lewicki in Days of Thunder. The film is also where Kidman and Cruise met, with the pair marrying later in 1990 before divorcing in 2001.
So while fans will naturally wonder whether Claire remains part of Cole Trickle’s story, Kidman has not been announced for the new film.
Will Any Other Original Days of Thunder Cast Return?
That’s another big question.
At this stage, Tom Cruise is the only original cast member confirmed to return.
The 1990 film also starred Michael Rooker as Rowdy Burns, Randy Quaid as Tim Daland, Cary Elwes as Russ Wheeler and John C. Reilly as Buck Bretherton.
Several of those characters could easily fit into a story set decades later.
However, Paramount has not announced any additional returning cast members.
That means any reunion talk remains speculation for now.
Remembering Robert Duvall’s Harry Hogge
Sadly, one of the most important people in Cole’s original story cannot return.
Robert Duvall, who played legendary crew chief Harry Hogge, died in February 2026 at the age of 95.
Harry provided much of the heart of the first film. He built Cole’s cars, challenged his attitude and helped transform him into a serious racer.
Because of that, it will be interesting to see whether the new movie acknowledges Harry’s influence on Cole all these years later.
The Days of Thunder Sequel Will Be Filmed for IMAX
This could be where things get really interesting.
Paramount has confirmed the new Days of Thunder will be filmed for IMAX.
Cruise has spent years pushing filmmakers to capture as much action practically as possible. More importantly, he remains one of Hollywood’s biggest champions of the theatrical experience.
That approach helped turn Top Gun: Maverick into a genuine cinema event.
You can revisit our Accessreel.com review of Top Gun: Maverick, which praised the film’s use of real aircraft and in-camera action.
Now imagine that same philosophy applied to NASCAR.
Race cars. Huge tracks. Real speed. IMAX cameras.
If Cruise and the filmmakers go all-in, this could be something very special on the big screen.
Who’s Making the New Days of Thunder?
Jonathan Levine will direct the movie from a screenplay by Will Staples.
Levine previously directed 50/50, Warm Bodies and Long Shot.
Cruise will also produce the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.
Bruckheimer’s return is particularly significant.
He produced the original Days of Thunder with the late Don Simpson. More recently, he reunited with Cruise on Top Gun: Maverick.
There are obvious similarities between the two projects.
First, bring back one of Cruise’s best-known characters decades later. Then put that character into a new stage of his life. Finally, use modern filmmaking technology to make the action bigger than audiences could have imagined in the original.
That worked spectacularly for Maverick.
Now Cole Trickle gets his turn.
Watch the Original Days of Thunder Trailer
Before Cole gets behind the wheel again, head back to 1990 with the original Days of Thunder trailer.
The Original Days of Thunder
Released in 1990, Days of Thunder reunited Cruise with Top Gun director Tony Scott.
The film threw audiences into the world of NASCAR with big crashes, fierce rivalries and plenty of speed.
Alongside Cruise, the cast included Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Michael Rooker, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and John C. Reilly.
More than three decades later, the film remains one of Cruise’s most recognisable movies from the early part of his career.
It also gave audiences another iconic Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer action movie only a few years after Top Gun.
Now the engines are starting again.
When Does the Days of Thunder Sequel Hit Cinemas?
Paramount Pictures has confirmed that Days of Thunder will arrive only in cinemas in 2028.
The film currently has a June 2, 2028 release date in the United States.
However, Paramount’s Australian announcement currently lists the movie simply for 2028, so we’ll have to wait for a specific Australian release date.
More casting and story details should arrive as production gets closer.
Until then, one thing is certain.
Cole Trickle is back.
DAYS OF THUNDER
FILMED FOR IMAX
ONLY IN CINEMAS 2028
