Paramount Pictures is bringing back "Days of Thunder." Tom Cruise will return as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in a sequel to the 1990 racing film that grossed $157.9 million worldwide, with Anne Hathaway co-starring as a team owner and engineer.

Cruise, 64, made the announcement Saturday, Aug. 29, at Daytona International Speedway, hours before NASCAR's Cup Series regular-season finale. He stood up from his chair in front of 40 race-car drivers, jumped over a row of potted plants and landed directly on stage, the Associated Press reported.

"I was very proud to be able to reflect that in the first 'Days of Thunder,' and I am honored to share it with the world," Cruise told the packed room at Daytona.

Paramount has set a June 2, 2028, release date. The film will be shot for IMAX screens and released in premium formats including Dolby Cinema and 4DX, according to IGN.

Jonathan Levine, whose credits include "Long Shot" and "Warm Bodies," will direct from a script by Will Staples. Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper are producing alongside Cruise.

The sequel pairs Cruise and Bruckheimer again after "Top Gun: Maverick," their 2022 legacy sequel that grossed $1.5 billion worldwide. Variety described the new project as the first significant piece of intellectual property Cruise will take on after winding down the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

The original "Days of Thunder" was directed by the late Tony Scott and starred Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and John C. Reilly. The character Cole Trickle was loosely based on the late NASCAR driver Tim Richmond.

Hathaway, who won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2013 for "Les Misérables," has had four films in theaters in 2026, including "The Devil Wears Prada 2" and "The Odyssey." She is also working on a "Princess Diaries" sequel. In the pair's announcement video, Hathaway indicated she would have her baby first before production begins, according to IGN.

The news landed big. Cruise's two posts on X on Aug. 29 drew more than 210,000 likes and over 16 million impressions.

Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, now vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, had openly lobbied for Cruise to bring the sequel to life. Bruckheimer, Harper and Staples all joined Cruise at the Daytona drivers' meeting for the announcement.