Randy Quaid is taking aim at Tom Cruise and the upcoming Days of Thunder 2, and his target this time is Anne Hathaway’s casting. The veteran actor, who co-starred with Cruise as rival driver Rowdy Burns in the 1990 original, didn’t hold back in a recent outburst, declaring that Hathaway lacks the screen presence the role demands. “Anne isn't sexy,” Quaid said flatly, dismissing the Academy Award winner as wrong for the franchise’s high-octane world.
The sequel, which has been slated for a June 2, 2028 release, will see Cruise reprise his role as Cole Trickle, with Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50) stepping in as director. Plot details remain under wraps, though the studio’s official logline is bare-bones: a sequel to the 1990 film with the story yet to be announced. What is clear is that Hathaway is attached in an unnamed role opposite Cruise, and that combination has Quaid seeing red.
Speaking in a video posted to social media, Quaid veered from criticism of the casting to broader swipes at Cruise’s influence over the project. He suggested that the Top Gun star had become too powerful in Hollywood, essentially hand-picking a leading lady who fits a narrow mold rather than the fiery chemistry the original film had with Nicole Kidman. In the first Days of Thunder, Cruise and Kidman’s romance was a central thread, and Quaid argued that Hathaway’s more cerebral, girl-next-door appeal is a mismatch for the franchise’s slick, sun-scorched aesthetic.
“I don’t know who’s making these choices,” Quaid continued, his tone sharp. “Tom runs the show. He picks people who won’t overshadow him. Anne is a fine actress, but she’s not a movie star in that way. She doesn’t bring the heat.” The comments are the latest in an years-long pattern of Quaid publicly feuding with the Hollywood establishment, though this marks his most pointed attack on a co-star since his own exit from the industry amid legal and personal turmoil.
Hathaway has yet to respond publicly, and her representatives have not commented on Quaid’s remarks. Given her track record, the actress is unlikely to engage in a war of words. Her recent roles in prestige dramas and streaming hits have solidified her reputation as a versatile performer, but Quaid’s critique is less about her acting chops and more about a certain old-school notion of star power. “She’s not a sex symbol, and that’s what this movie needs,” he said. “It needs someone like a young Sharon Stone. Someone with danger in her eyes.”
The original Days of Thunder was itself a passion project for Cruise, born from his real-life interest in stock car racing. It may not have been a critical darling, but it turned a profit and became a cable staple, thanks in large part to the physicality of its crash sequences and the palpable friction between Cruise and Quaid. Their on-track rivalry - Burns and Trickle resented each other before a grudging respect took hold - was seeded in real life, as the two actors were far from friendly during production. Quaid has spoken about that tension in the past, framing it as a method-fueled conflict that served the story.
Now, more than three decades later, he’s suggesting that the sequel is a cash grab that trades on nostalgia without understanding what made the original resonate. “The car stuff was real. The crashes were real. But you had two guys who didn’t like each other, and it read,” Quaid said. “Now they’re just going to slap a new engine in an old chassis and hope no one notices.” He did not offer any praise for Levine, who has built a career on quirkier, more character-driven fare than the testosterone-heavy racing genre.
Whether Quaid’s comments will have any impact on the production is doubtful. Cruise is firmly ensconced as the face of Paramount’s action slate, and a sequel has been rumored for decades. Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the original’s producers, are both deceased or otherwise uninvolved, but Cruise has kept the project alive in development for years. With a director now attached and a release date locked, the film is clearly moving forward, with or without Quaid’s blessing.
It’s worth noting that Quaid has a long history of volatile public statements, including lawsuits against Hollywood figures and a period of self-imposed exile in Canada. His credibility is often questioned by industry observers, and his latest tirade may be less about Hathaway’s suitability and more about his own grievances with the business that he claims blackballed him. Still, his comments tap into a real debate about how legacy sequels recast or add to established ensembles. Hathaway’s involvement is, on paper, a prestige move - a second Oscar winner joining a franchise that previously leaned on raw charisma rather than awards pedigree.
Producers have not issued a statement, and the studio’s marketing machine has remained silent, likely hoping that Quaid’s salvo will be forgotten by the time the film enters its promotional cycle. Only the numbers will tell the real story. At the time of announcement, Days of Thunder 2 has no critical rating on TMDb, and audience anticipation is speculative at best. The film’s box office future will hinge largely on Cruise’s global draw, which has remained remarkably resilient across four decades.
For now, the controversy is a footnote in the film’s early life. But Quaid, never one to let a microphone go unused, isn’t backing down. “I loved that character. I loved that movie,” he said. “I’d hate to see them ruin it with a pretty face and no fire.” Whether Hathaway has the fire remains to be seen. Whether Quaid’s opinion matters any more than a passing jolt of publicity is another question entirely.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
