Anne Hathaway Fulfilling a ‘Long-Held Dream’ to Star Alongside Tom Cruise in ‘Days of Thunder 2’

Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway are gearing up to join forces for Days of Thunder 2, and a source exclusively tells National Examiner that the actress is thrilled to finally be working alongside her longtime idol.

“Anne has unambiguously and whole-heartedly loved Tom Cruise and his work for basically her entire adult life,” the source says. “For the last fifteen years she has kicked the tires on a bunch of different projects Tom was attached to or otherwise developing. But the stars just never lined up until now.”

According to the source, finally starring against Cruise, 64, is a “bucket list” moment for Hathaway, 43, and “the fulfillment of a long-held dream.”

“This was not a hard project for Anne to say ‘yes’ to,” the source says, adding that with filming still months away, the Devil Wears Prada star plans to “immerse herself in the research” and Cruise’s famously intense approach to filmmaking.

The pair are already hitting it off ahead of production, but the source says the highly anticipated sequel comes with a decent amount of pressure.

“For all of Tom and Anne’s smiles during their announcement and photo op for the movie, there’s still a cloud of skepticism hanging over the project because the original 1990 film was seen as a bit of a disappointment, only gaining a real fan following after years of play on cable,” the source reveals.

The Mission: Impossible star, however, isn’t being deterred. The source says the planned 2028 film has a script that has those involved excited, and it shares creative talent with Top Gun: Maverick and F1: The Movie, including producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Ultimately, the source says that the film’s success will depend on its two stars.

“It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind experience that entirely hinges on Tom and Anne getting on the same page and sharing their vision for the movie,” the source explains. “They have a great ally in [DOT2 director] Jon Levine, but make no mistake, the most powerful figures on the set will be Tom and Anne and they will be the ones who incur the blame if this movie doesn’t deliver.”