Days of Thunder 2: Anne Hathaway joins the cast – Release date has been set
In the sequel, she'll be seen alongside Tom Cruise
A high-profile new addition to "Days of Thunder 2": Anne Hathaway will star in the sequel. She will appear alongside lead actor Tom Cruise. The release date has also been set: "Days of Thunder 2" will hit theaters on June 2, 2028, according to Variety.
As for Hathaway's role, there's still very little information available. What is known so far is that she is set to play a race team owner and engineer in the sequel to "Days of Thunder". Jonathan Levine will direct. Just about a month ago, it was reported that he was in talks for the film. Now, his hiring is reportedly confirmed. The director has previously helmed films such as the zombie romance "Warm Bodies" and the comedy "Snatched." The fact that he has now been chosen for a fast-paced blockbuster like "Days of Thunder" is sure to come as a surprise to many. Will Staples is on board as screenwriter. Among other things, he had a hand in the script for "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" and was thus already involved in a film starring Tom Cruise.
Cole Trickle returns
Exactly what "Days of Thunder 2" is about remains to be seen. In any case, Cruise will once again take on the lead role and will thus be seen once more as Cole Trickle. In the original 1990 film, we were introduced to the character as an extremely ambitious race car driver who wanted to make it to the very top as a NASCAR driver. In the new film, Cruise is also serving as a producer – alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the first installment.
The original cast was certainly impressive. Starring alongside Cruise were Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Nicole Kidman, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Caroline Williams. The film was directed by Tony Scott. The screenplay was written by Robert Towne, who co-wrote the story with Cruise. Worldwide, "Days of Thunder" grossed $157 million. The film also held special personal significance for Cruise: he met Nicole Kidman on set, and the two were married for eleven years.
Anne Hathaway is currently very much in the spotlight
With Anne Hathaway, "Days of Thunder 2" now features an actress who has been particularly prominent on the big screen this year. Admittedly, her role as a pop star in David Lowery's drama "Mother Mary" has received relatively little attention. That aside, however, there's no getting around Anne Hathaway right now. With her long-awaited return in David Frankel's "The Devil Wears Prada 2," she landed a remarkable box-office hit alongside Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. The comedy grossed $692 million worldwide. In addition, she was part of the ensemble cast in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" – the epic has so far raked in a sensational $1.5 billion at the box office.
Another new movie starring Hathaway, David Robert Mitchell's "The End of Oak Street," was released just recently. You can read our META film review to see how we and other critics rate the dinosaur thriller. And her next movie will be released soon. In Michael Showalter's "Verity," you'll see her alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The thriller hits theaters on October 2, 2026. You can get a glimpse of "Verity" in the trailer:
Tom Cruise will soon be seen in Digger
Tom Cruise is also making headlines right now – and is likely to stay busy in the coming years. In addition to "Days of Thunder 2," another sequel to the '80s classic "Top Gun" is in the works. No wonder: The sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" proved to be a massive hit, grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide. Accordingly, "Top Gun 3" is already in the works – again starring Tom Cruise and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
At the moment, however, he's generating a lot of buzz primarily with his upcoming film "Digger." In the new movie by acclaimed director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, he'll star alongside other high-profile actors such as Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons. There's even speculation already about whether Cruise might win his long-awaited Oscar for the role – even though the film hasn't even been released yet. "Digger" hits theaters on October 2, 2026. The trailer offers a sneak peek at Cruise's performance:
