Days of Thunder sequel locks June 2028 release date; Anne Hathaway joins Tom Cruise on the raceway

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, Paramount’s Days of Thunder sequel is officially gearing up for another lap!

Anne Hathaway Joins the Pit Crew

Paramount Pictures announced today that the high-octane follow-up will hit theaters on June 2, 2028. Tom Cruise is set to reprise his role as speed demon Cole Trickle, and he won’t be hitting the track alone. Joining the cast is The Odyssey and The Devil Wears Prada 2‘s Anne Hathaway, who will play a race team owner and engineer.

Jonathan Levine (Long Shot) is set to direct from a screenplay by Will Staples, with Cruise producing alongside industry titans Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. Paramount also confirmed that Levine’s vision will be filmed in IMAX, promising an immersive theatrical experience complete with broad releases in Dolby Cinema, 4DX, and Premium Large Formats.

A High-Octane Legacy Returns

Directed by the late Tony Scott, the original 1990 classic revolutionized motorsport cinema. It followed a hotheaded driver recruited to compete at the top level by seasoned vet Harry Hogge, played by the late, legendary Robert Duvall. The 1990 classic also starred Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, and Nicole Kidman, who met Cruise on set during production before their subsequent 11-year marriage.

Whispers about Cruise returning to the track first began circulating in November 2024, but today’s director and casting news takes the project into high gear. The follow-up marks Cruise’s return to another beloved IP following his triumphant return as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick.

Can Cole Trickle Match Maverick’s Box Office Thunder?

Kosinski’s aerial spectacle is widely credited with rescue-level heavy lifting for the global theatrical ecosystem after the COVID-19 pandemic severely crippled ticket sales. Banking nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, Maverick stood out as a rare post-pandemic phenomenon that drew adult audiences back to cinemas in droves. While movie theaters continue to navigate the lingering economic shifts of the post-2020 landscape, Paramount is clearly betting that Cole Trickle can capture that exact same lightning in a bottle. With a powerhouse cast, top-tier creative team, and a commitment to premium large formats, the engine is officially running for summer 2028.

You can check out an official photo of Cruise and Hathaway at the Daytona International Speedway below:

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