Tom Cruise will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in a follow-up to 'Days of Thunder.' The announcement was made from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, hours before NASCAR's regular-season finale. Anne Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer in the film, scheduled for release by Paramount Pictures on June 2, 2028. Cruise will serve as a producer alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper, with Jonathan Levine directing a script by Will Staples.

The original 1990 film was a critically panned summer blockbuster that became a cult favorite in NASCAR circles. Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, now vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, has lobbied for the sequel, having become friends with Cruise over the years. The movie introduced NASCAR to a wider audience, though NASCAR has seen more failures than successes in film portrayals since.