Cruise starred alongside Kidman, his ex-wife, in the original 1990 film.

Days of Thunder star calls on Tom Cruise to reunite with Nicole Kidman, ditch Anne Hathaway to satisfy ‘MAGA’ audience

Cruise starred alongside Kidman, his ex-wife, in the original 1990 film.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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August 30, 2026 2:50 p.m. ET

Randy Quaid; Anne Hathaway; Tom Cruise. Credit:

Erika Goldring/Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty

- Original *Days of Thunder *star Randy Quaid claims Anne Hathaway is a “horrible choice” for the upcoming sequel.

- Quaid insists that the sequel should reunite star Tom Cruise with his ex wife Nicole Kidman.

- Hathaway is set to star as a racing team owner, a role that Quaid’s character filled in the original film.

While plenty of film fans were delighted to learn that Anne Hathaway would be joining Tom Cruise in *Days of Thunder 2*, Randy Quaid was not among them.

The 75-year-old actor — who starred alongside Cruise in the original 1990 film — wasted no time in taking his complaints to social media, just hours after the sequel news was announced. In a series of brash X posts, Quaid argued that the upcoming film should bring back Cruise’s original love interest, Dr. Claire Lewicki, who was played by his now-ex-wife Nicole Kidman. He claimed that otherwise, the sequel would alienate its MAGA viewers with Hathaway.

“We need Nicole back,” Quaid wrote Saturday on X. “Don’t be a p---y, @TomCruise. 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.”

Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, and Tom Cruise in ‘Days of Thunder’.

Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

Hathaway, who is currently expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman, references her pregnancy in the announcement video, noting that she plans to “have this baby, then make the movie”.

In a follow-up post, Quaid wrote, “If I were in control of production, a real sequel worth watching for *DAYS OF THUNDER* would be seeing Tom and Nicole together on screen again. We don’t need a new girl; we need a new race car!”

Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway pose for ‘Days of Thunder 2’.

Paramount Pictures

He expanded on his stance in a third post, writing, “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.”

Representatives for Hathaway and Cruise did not immediately respond to **’s request for comment.

Kidman’s absence from the sequel isn’t exactly a surprise: back in 1989, she and Cruise first met on the set of* Days of Thunder.* Months later they tied the knot. The couple went their separate ways in 2001, after Cruise filed for divorce, and haven’t worked together since.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in ‘Days of Thunder’.

As for Quaid, there has been no indication that he would reprise his role as Tim Daland, who owned the racing team that recruited Cruise’s Cole Trickle. The sequel will see Hathaway play a new character, a team owner and engineer. *Days of Thunder* 2 is expected to release on June 2, 2028.

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Cruise will produce the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, who also produced the original project, and Tommy Harper. Jonathan Levine, known for his work on *Snatched* and *Long Shot*, will be directing. While details about the plot remain scarce, Will Staples will be writing the script. Further casting for the sequel has yet to be announced, including whether Cary Elwes, John C. Reilly, and Michael Rooker will return.

Quaid has lately become better known for his conservative political affiliations and legal disputes rather than his acting career. The actor has become an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and of the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged.

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Source: “EW Action”