The rumours have been swirling for a while, but it’s now official. Tom Cruise will return as Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder 2, which somehow it isn’t called Nights of Lightning.
Days of Thunder. Summer 2028. pic.twitter.com/rD3QLXfUyi
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) August 29, 2026
The original Days of Thunder, released in 1990, followed maverick racer Cole Trickle as he entered the world of NASCAR racing, crashed a lot and banged his neurosurgeon. Concussions have an upside if you look like Tom Cruise. The movie swaps out the antagonist halfway through for a guy we hadn’t seen up until then. They didn’t think we’d notice, but we did.
Despite this, Days of Thunder gives me a warm glow, probably due to all the golden hour scenes. Plus the characters have real personalities and the dialogue is top notch.
Plot details for Days of Thunder 2 are scarce, which is entirely consistent with the original, where the script was literally being written the day before scenes were shot. Again, we knew.
F1 Movie template
But how much plot do you need for a movie about stock cars racing around a track? Surely it will follow the F1 Movie template, with ageing NASCAR driver Cole Trickle being lured back for one last hurrah. Cast an appropriately diverse young pretender and an older-but-still-hot love interest and we’re good to go.
Speaking of which…yes, that’s a heavily pregnant Anne Hathaway in the announcement video. Where has she been? I haven’t seen her in a new movie in at least a week.
Anyway, they still have plenty of time to figure out the story, seeing as Anne Hathaway is about to drop and is probably entitled to some statutory maternity leave.
Variety has reported that Hathaway is playing a team owner and engineer (and an older-but-still-hot love interest). No word yet on the rumoured crossover with the F1 Movie. Will Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes make an appearance?
Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, Long Shot) will direct Days of Thunder 2, which will screech up to theatres in a cloud of smoke on 2 June 2028.
