Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway have somehow never shared the screen, despite both being among Hollywood’s most instantly recognizable stars. That long-running absence appears set to end with an unexpected vehicle: Days of Thunder, which reportedly functions as Days of Thunder 2, a sequel to Cruise’s 1990 NASCAR drama.
In a way, the original Days of Thunder already lived in the shadow of a sequel before one existed. Released four years after Top Gun, it reunited Cruise with director Tony Scott, producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, and a familiar obsession with speed. Cruise played Cole Trickle, a brash stock car driver forced to rein in his reckless talent, discover discipline and, perhaps, become slightly less unbearable along the way. The film arrived with major summer-movie expectations in 1990, but it never matched the cultural or commercial lift of Top Gun. It earned nearly $100 million less in North America and found itself crowded out by breakout successes including Ghost and Presumed Innocent. Rather than dominating the season, Days of Thunder landed closer to that summer’s underperforming follow-ups, including Back to the Future Part III and Another 48 Hours. For that reason, a new Days of Thunder faces a very different challenge than Top Gun: Maverick, which benefited from decades of affection for a genuine pop-culture landmark.
Still, Days of Thunder has left a stranger footprint than its reputation might suggest. John C. Reilly’s role in the film helped pave the way for his later appearance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, arguably the sharper racing movie overall. More famously, it was the project that introduced Cruise to Nicole Kidman, who played Cole’s neurosurgeon love interest. The two married at the end of 1990, adopted two children and went on to co-star in Far and Away in 1992 and Eyes Wide Shut in 1999 before separating in early 2001. Because those later collaborations pushed Cruise further outside his usual blockbuster lane, Days of Thunder remains their biggest commercial success together, even if it has never enjoyed the strongest critical standing.
So, why make Days of Thunder 2?
The movie also clearly carries personal weight for Cruise. It marked his second and final collaboration with the late Tony Scott, who later became one of the defining thriller filmmakers of the 1990s and 2000s, particularly through his work with Denzel Washington. It is also one of the rare Cruise films to feature a story credit for the star himself. After getting a firsthand look at the NASCAR world, Cruise pitched the core idea and received shared “story by” billing with legendary screenwriter Robert Towne, who wrote the film and whose credits include Chinatown, Shampoo and The Last Detail. Yes, the idea of a Days of Thunder sequel may suggest Hollywood’s legacy-franchise machine is scraping the barrel. But Cruise likely has real affection for the original, is still chasing the afterglow of Top Gun: Maverick, and may well have taken note of Brad Pitt’s racing drama F1, itself built with more than a little Maverick-style energy.
What’s Days of Thunder 2 about?
Plot details have not been officially disclosed, but Hathaway is reportedly playing a team owner and engineer, a role that practically invites at least one cowboy-hat moment. With many actors in their sixties, the obvious concern would be that Hathaway had been cast primarily as a much younger love interest. Cruise, however, seems increasingly conscious of the odd tension around his screen persona as a romantic lead. If anything, this pairing sounds more in line with his later Mission: Impossible dynamic: emotionally intense, deeply loyal, maybe suspiciously close, but ultimately framed as professional respect rather than a conventional romance.
Will Nicole Kidman appear in Days of Thunder 2?
Well, Kelly McGillis didn’t come back for Top Gun 2, but then again, Nicole Kidman remains a pretty major Hollywood star who works in tons of movies and TV shows every year. The greater obstacle is that Kidman and Cruise, while careful not to badmouth each other in public, are very divorced. Their children together, Bella and Connor, are Scientologists like their father, and though Kidman has remained mum on the religion post-divorce, it was cited as a major reason for their split. Moreover, Kidman and Cruise haven’t been seen together publicly in 25 years. Neither of them attended their daughter’s wedding. They clearly keep their distance.
On the other hand: It’s not impossible to picture Kidman putting in a surprise Days of Thunder 2 cameo, akin to a character from one superhero universe stepping briefly into another to please the fans. It probably won’t happen, but it can’t be ruled out entirely.
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When is Days of Thunder 2 coming out?
Paramount has scheduled the movie for June 2, 2028. For those keeping track of the summer 2028 movie schedule, that’s a month after the X-Men reboot, a week after the Lilo & Stitch sorta-live-action sequel, and two weeks before Incredibles 3. (Disney calls a lot of dates in advance.) So June 9, 2028 is still available in case you have a big summer movie looking for a slot.
Is Days of Thunder on streaming? Where to watch the original Days of Thunder:
It sure is. The best way to stream it is probably Paramount+ where it will run ad-free (and feels thematically appropriate because it’s such a “Paramount in 1990” movie). But it’s also currently available on PlutoTV if you can handle the frequent ad breaks. It’s also available to rent or purchase digitally.
Stream Days of Thunder on Paramount+
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.
Stream Days of Thunder on Paramount+