In the upcoming Days of Thunder sequel, set for June 2028, Anne Hathaway takes over the female lead role from Nicole Kidman.

Updated on: Aug 31, 2026, 10:26:39 IST

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Tom Cruise on Saturday announced the sequel to his high-octane fan favourite Days of Thunder. However, in the sequel, Anne Hathaway has replaced Nicole Kidman, who played the female lead in the original film. The casting decision has not gone down well with Randy Quaid, who played a pivotal role in the original.

'If you haven’t noticed, she’s pregnant'

Randy took to X to call out Tom Cruise over his casting choice and even called Anne a 'horrible choice'. He went on to comment on Anne's appearance and said she isn't sexy, while also criticising her casting because she is pregnant.

He wrote, “We need Nicole [Kidman] back. Don’t be a p***y, [Tom Cruise]. You need the original girl. It’s not personal; it’s filmmaking. Anne isn’t sexy, because and if you haven’t noticed, she’s pregnant.”

'Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice'

He added in a follow-up post, “Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for ‘DAYS OF THUNDER’ NASCAR audience who are MAGA. The sexy older chick for Tom in this film needs to be Nicole. That’s the casting that would sell the idea. It’s interesting because when we made the first one there was also a rush to get it out; editors slept in the cutting room on shifts. This is a weird thing, like they want it to come out and tank.”

Days of Thunder announcement

Tom and Anne announced the news in a video on social media. In the clip, Anne, who is pregnant with her third child, joked, "Now what? Let's make the movie … I'm gonna have the baby, and then we're gonna make the movie." Tom responded "That's a good idea. You have the baby, then we'll go make the movie. We're coming out summer of 2028. Don't be late."

About Days of Thunder

In the original film, Randy played Tim Daland, the owner of the racing team that recruits Tom's character of up-and-coming driver Cole Trickle. Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, played Dr Claire Lewicki, the romantic lead in the film. Other cast members included Robert Duvall, Cary Elwes and John C. Reilly. Tony Scott served as director, while the film was produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Paramount has slated the sequel for a June 2028 theatrical release, almost 40 years after the original. Jonathan Levine is confirmed to direct, with Tom producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.

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