Sequel to ‘Days of Thunder’ filmed in NC to star Tom Cruise, Anne Hathaway
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“Days of Thunder,” a NASCAR-centric 1990 movie that starred Tom Cruise and was filmed in the Charlotte area, is set to get a sequel in 2028.
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Nearly four decades after playing character Cole Trickle in the original movie, Cruise revealed in Instagram posts that he’s starring in a new version with actress Anne Hathaway. And NASCAR is playing a role in getting the action on screen again.
“Tom’s message to us was: ‘I’m going to put you in front of an entirely new audience, and you need to be ready,’” Steve O’Donnell, CEO of the motorsports league, told Front Office Sports in a YouTube video.
As NASCAR works to help future moviegoers understand the sport, it’s also building roughly 80 cars for the on-screen action.
“Some we don’t expect to be back, that they’ll be wrecked as part of it,” O’Donnell said in the video posted in mid-October.
The yet-to-be-named movie is in the pre-production phase and is set to be released in June 2028, according to IMDb. Production companies Paramount and Jerry Bruckheimer Films didn’t immediately respond to The News & Observer’s requests for additional information on Thursday, Oct. 22.
“Since the movie is still in the early stages of development, there isn’t a lot of information available at this time. Filming is expected to begin in early 2027,” NASCAR spokesperson Jake Derene said in an email, directing The N&O to news reports for more information about the sequel.
Before “Days of Thunder” premiered in 1990, the production had several ties to North Carolina.
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“The character Rowdy Burns was loosely based on Dale Earnhardt,” CharlotteFive previously reported. “Tom Cruise stayed in Rick Hendrick’s Lake Norman house while learning everything about NASCAR. Some scenes were filmed at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
Filming also took place at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a roughly 75-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte. And “Hendrick Motorsports, based in Concord, also supplied many of the race cars used during production,” according to WNCN.
North Carolina has long ties to auto racing, and the Queen City currently is home to a NASCAR corporate office and the league’s hall of fame.
“Charlotte is the epicenter of NASCAR, with more than 90 percent of NASCAR teams based in the area,” Charlotte Motor Speedway, located in Concord, wrote on its website in 2025. “From Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing, fans have the chance to visit team shops and see where the magic happens.”
The N&O has asked the N.C. Film Office whether the second movie will be filmed in the state and is awaiting a response.
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