Nearly four decades after Cole Trickle first hit the NASCAR track, Tom Cruise is returning to the wheel. Anne Hathaway is joining him for the long-awaited sequel, but original star Randy Quaid has made it clear he is not happy about the new casting.
August 31, 2026—Some movie sequels take years to happen.
Thirty-eight years is another story.
Tom Cruise has officially announced that Days of Thunder is coming back, and this time Anne Hathaway is getting behind the wheel alongside him.
Days of Thunder. Summer 2028. pic.twitter.com/rD3QLXfUyi
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) August 29, 2026
Cruise revealed the news on social media with a video featuring himself and Hathaway standing beside a race car. The announcement confirms a summer 2028 theatrical release, with Cruise returning as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle. Hathaway is joining the franchise as a new character rather than reprising Nicole Kidman’s role from the 1990 original.
And the announcement itself had a pretty memorable moment.
Hathaway, who is currently pregnant with her third child, joked in the video:
“Now what? Let’s make the movie … I’m going to have the baby, and then we’re going to make the movie.”
Cruise immediately played along.
“That’s a good idea. You have the baby, then we’ll go make the movie. We’re coming out in the summer of 2028. Don’t be late.”
It’s a surprisingly relaxed way to announce a movie that has been waiting nearly four decades for its second lap.
But the celebration didn’t last long.
Randy Quaid, who played NASCAR team owner Tim Daland in the original Days of Thunder, had some very strong feelings about Hathaway joining Cruise.
And he did not keep them to himself.
Anne Hathaway Is the New Woman in Cole Trickle’s World
The first Days of Thunder arrived in 1990 with Cruise playing Cole Trickle, a talented but arrogant rookie driver trying to establish himself in the NASCAR world.
Tony Scott directed the film, while Jerry Bruckheimer produced it. Nicole Kidman played Dr. Claire Lewicki, the neurosurgeon who becomes romantically involved with Cole. Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker and John C. Reilly rounded out the cast.
The sequel is not simply bringing that exact formula back.
Cruise is returning as Cole, but Hathaway is playing a new character—a race team owner and engineer. That is an important detail because she is not replacing Kidman’s character within the story. She is stepping into a different role and a different chapter of Cole’s life.
That also makes sense considering the enormous amount of time between the two movies.
The original Days of Thunder was released in June 1990.
The sequel is currently scheduled for June 2, 2028, meaning audiences will have waited almost 38 years to see Cruise return as Cole Trickle. Paramount has also confirmed that the movie is being shot for IMAX.
The film will be directed by Jonathan Levine, with Cruise producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. Will Staples is writing the screenplay.
There is a lot riding on that combination.
Cruise has already shown what happens when he returns to one of his biggest action franchises decades later.
Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t just a nostalgia exercise. It became one of the biggest theatrical successes of 2022 and proved that an older franchise could come roaring back when the filmmaking gave audiences a reason to care.
Now NASCAR gets its turn.
And Cruise is still very much in the driver’s seat.
Randy Quaid Wants Nicole Kidman Back
Enter Randy Quaid.
The actor, who played Tim Daland in the original, publicly criticized Hathaway’s casting shortly after Cruise announced the sequel.
Quaid wrote on X that he wanted Nicole Kidman back and argued that Cruise needed “the original girl.” He then described Hathaway as a “horrible choice” for the sequel and criticized her based on her pregnancy.
His comments quickly became the story surrounding the announcement.
In another post, Quaid claimed Hathaway was a poor fit for what he characterized as the film’s NASCAR audience and again argued that Kidman should return. He also suggested that the production could be rushed in a way that might hurt the final movie, comparing it with the hectic editing process he remembered from the original.
Those are Quaid’s opinions, not information confirmed by Paramount or Cruise.
There is also no indication from the official announcement that Kidman was ever attached to the sequel.
We need Nicole back. Don’t be a pussy, @TomCruise. You need the original girl. It’s not personal; it’s filmmaking. Anne isn’t sexy, because and if you haven’t noticed, she’s pregnant. https://t.co/7qid5SDnkv
— Randy Quaid (@RandyRRQuaid) August 29, 2026
And there is a very practical reason why bringing back Claire Lewicki wouldn’t necessarily be the point of this movie: Hathaway is playing an entirely new character.
We want her back! 🔥 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/PWezYdlYN1
— 🇺🇸UGAGirl🇺🇸 (@GirlUGA) August 30, 2026
Top Gun and what about Summer of 86 . Endless Love
Cruise holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies, a feat achieved with eleven films released between 2012 and 2025 @GWR pic.twitter.com/QhcrK4zKIO
— Triple R (@RaviRRana) August 30, 2026
What? My favourite is getting a sequel? Shut the front door!
— Rosalind O’Brien 🇨🇦 (@billieroz) August 30, 2026
The original film’s romantic storyline belongs to 1990.
The sequel gets to decide what Cole Trickle’s life looks like nearly four decades later.
That’s a pretty interesting place to start.
The Nicole Kidman Question Is Complicated by Hollywood History
There is no denying that Nicole Kidman’s presence in the original Days of Thunder carries enormous nostalgia.
She and Cruise met while making the movie and married in 1990, the same year the film was released. They divorced in 2001.
Kidman has since built one of the most respected acting careers in Hollywood, with an Oscar win for The Hours and major roles in projects including Moulin Rouge!, Big Little Lies, The Undoing, Babygirl and The Perfect Couple.
But the new Days of Thunder is not being marketed as a reunion between Cruise and his former wife.
It is a sequel about Cole Trickle.
And Cruise has clearly chosen to take the character somewhere new.
That’s why Hathaway’s casting is more interesting than the simple “Nicole Kidman replacement” framing suggests.
She isn’t playing Claire Lewicki.
She’s playing a woman who apparently knows the racing business from the inside.
A team owner,engineer, and Someone whose professional world could put her directly across from—or alongside—Cole.
That gives the sequel room to create a new dynamic rather than trying to recreate a relationship audiences watched nearly 40 years ago.
And Hathaway is coming into the project after an enormous 2026.
She has appeared in The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey and The End of Oak Street, giving her a particularly busy year before Days of Thunder even starts its next phase of production.
The casting also gives the sequel a chance to introduce a female character who isn’t simply there to be the love interest of the male lead.
That is a meaningful change from the original setup.
Tom Cruise Is Betting on Another Legacy Comeback
There is a reason this announcement feels bigger than just another sequel.
Tom Cruise has become one of the few stars capable of turning an old property into a major theatrical event simply by returning to it.
Top Gun: Maverick proved that. Now he’s going back to NASCAR, And the timing is fascinating.
Cruise will be 66 when Days of Thunder 2 arrives in 2028. That doesn’t mean the movie needs to pretend Cole Trickle is still the reckless young driver from 1990. Actually, it would be far more interesting if it didn’t.
Cole has had almost four decades to live with everything that happened in the original. The sequel can acknowledge that time has passed. The world of NASCAR has changed.
Cole has changed. The way racing is filmed has changed, And Cruise himself has changed.
The original movie was built around the physical danger of NASCAR racing and Cruise’s willingness to perform his own driving sequences. The new movie is being shot for IMAX, suggesting that the racing spectacle will once again be a major part of the theatrical experience.
That is the part fans should be watching.
Not whether Anne Hathaway can somehow become Nicole Kidman. She shouldn’t. Hathaway create her own character and Cruise bring back Cole Trickle without pretending it is 1990, and the movie earn its nostalgia instead of simply borrowing it.
And let Randy Quaid have his opinion.
Because right now, Days of Thunder 2 has something most legacy sequels would kill for before filming even properly gets underway:
people are already arguing about it.
The cameras haven’t even finished gearing up, and the movie is already generating headlines.
Come summer 2028, we’ll find out whether Cruise can make NASCAR magic strike twice.
One thing is certain.
Cole Trickle is coming back.
And this time, he’s got Anne Hathaway riding shotgun.
FAQ
Is Tom Cruise making a sequel to Days of Thunder?
Yes. Tom Cruise has officially announced a sequel to the 1990 racing film, with Cruise returning as Cole Trickle. The movie is scheduled for a theatrical release in summer 2028.
Is Anne Hathaway replacing Nicole Kidman in Days of Thunder 2?
Not exactly. Hathaway is playing a new character, described as a race team owner and engineer. Nicole Kidman played Dr. Claire Lewicki in the 1990 original.
When will Days of Thunder 2 be released?
The sequel is scheduled for June 2, 2028, nearly 38 years after the original movie. Paramount also plans an IMAX release.
What did Randy Quaid say about Anne Hathaway?
Quaid criticized Hathaway’s casting on social media and called her a “horrible choice,” while arguing that Nicole Kidman should return. Some of his comments specifically referenced Hathaway’s pregnancy and were widely criticized for their tone.
Who is directing Days of Thunder 2?
Jonathan Levine is directing the sequel. Tom Cruise is producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper, with Will Staples writing the screenplay.
Will Nicole Kidman return for the sequel?
There is currently no official confirmation that Nicole Kidman will appear in the sequel. Hathaway has been announced as the new female lead, playing a different character from Kidman’s Claire Lewicki.