“We need Nicole back,” Quaid wrote before addressing Cruise directly and claiming the film needed “the original girl.” He also criticised Hathaway’s appearance because she is pregnant, although she has already said filming will begin after the baby arrives.
Quaid continued: “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!”
Kidman met Cruise while they were making the original film. They married in 1990 and divorced in 2001.
Quaid turns the dispute political
The actor did not stop at preferring one performer over another. He called Hathaway a “leftist, woke, horrible choice” and claimed the NASCAR audience for the sequel would be aligned with MAGA politics.
Quaid said Kidman would be the more commercially appealing choice as Cruise’s on-screen partner. He also recalled the hurried production of the first movie, saying editors slept in the cutting room in shifts as the team raced to finish it.
“This is a weird thing, like they want it to come out and tank,” he wrote.
No evidence was offered that the studio wants its expensive Tom Cruise sequel to fail, a strategy that would certainly bring some novelty to Hollywood accounting.
Hathaway’s representatives have been approached for comment.
What else is Anne Hathaway working on?
Hathaway remains one of Hollywood’s busiest stars. Her recent and forthcoming projects include The Devil Wears Prada 2, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Verity, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel scheduled for release in October.
Her performance in The Odyssey has also generated early awards attention. Hathaway previously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for playing Fantine in Les Misérables.
Her character in the new Days of Thunder has not yet been announced, so it remains unclear whether she will replace Kidman’s character, play someone entirely different or occupy another part of Cole Trickle’s racing world.
Quaid’s most recent screen role was Rich the Postman in the 2024 film The Christmas Letter. His better-known credits include Independence Day, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and The Last Detail.
