DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The green flag is officially waving on a sequel to “Days of Thunder.”Tom Cruise announced on X that a sequel to the popular 1990 film that saw the star actor play Cole Trickle, a NASCAR driver who bursts on the scene and takes stock-car racing by storm, is scheduled for summer 2028.Cruise is expected to appear in the drivers’ meeting prior to Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway to speak to drivers.
Days of Thunder. Summer 2028. pic.twitter.com/l7tWBQVONm
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) August 29, 2026Anne Hathaway — who appeared in an image on Cruise’s X announcement alongside Cruise and Trickle’s car — will co-star with Cruise in the sequel, though her exact role is not known. She’s expected to join Cruise at the drivers’ meeting, and both are also expected to attend Saturday’s race.A “Days of Thunder” sequel has long been a possibility, and the project recently went into development, with Will Staples tasked to write the screenplay. Now, the project is officially moving into the next phase with production expected to begin early next year.Ryan Blaney overcomes conditions, late pressure to win at New HampshireDuring the screenwriting process, Staples spoke with and interviewed a number of drivers, team owners and people within the industry over the past year, both by visiting NASCAR’s Charlotte, N.C., hub and attending several races. Jonathan Levine is set to direct, and he along with Staples attended the summer race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he spoke to several drivers.
