Anne Hathaway Joins Tom Cruise in ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel

Anne Hathaway will star opposite Tom Cruise in the next chapter of “Days of Thunder,” Variety has learned exclusively.

Paramount Pictures has dated the feature film sequel for summer 2028, where Cruise and Hathaway will hit the road almost 40 years after the original Tony Scott film was released. Cruise released a promotional image on Saturday celebrating Hathaway’s casting and posing with his co-lead on a NASCAR track.

Cruise will reprise his role as the scrappy driver Cole Trickle. Plot details are scarce, but Hathaway is set to play a racecar team owner and engineer. Jonathan Levine (“Long Shot,” “Mr. Irrelevant”) is confirmed to direct. Cruise is producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.

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

Hathaway has been on a tear in 2026, with four films in theaters including “Mother Mary,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “The Odyssey” and “The End of Oak Street.” The expecting movie star will close out the year with the Coleen Hoover adaptation “Verity.” She’s just wrapped production on the Adam Driver military drama “Alone at Dawn,” and is working on a three-quel to her star-making Disney movie “The Princess Diaries.” Hathaway is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Apex Public Relations.

The ”Days of Thunder” follow-up is the first significant piece of IP that Cruise will engage with after ramping down the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. He’s also on the hook for another “Top Gun” movie, and will return to the prestige drama space with this year’s Alejandro González Iñárritu film “Digger.”