Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway is joining Tom Cruise in “Days of Thunder 2,” giving the long-awaited racing sequel a new leading star.
Cruise announced Hathaway’s casting in a video filmed at Daytona International Speedway.
The actor will return as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, the character he played in the 1990 original.
Hathaway will play an engineer and team owner.
Paramount has scheduled the sequel for summer 2028, almost four decades after the original film.
Jonathan Levine will direct, while Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper will produce.
The sequel brings Cruise back to the NASCAR world after his recent success with “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible.”
For Hathaway, the film adds another major project to her growing list of Hollywood roles.