Could Tom Cruise’s ‘Days of Thunder 2′ be coming to metro Atlanta?
Tom Cruise has shot only one movie in Georgia in his long, illustrious career: 2017’s fast-paced crime thriller “American Made.”
It’s possible Cruise may be coming back to the state next year.
While Paramount Pictures has not officially stated where “Days of Thunder 2″ will be shooting, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has gleaned several clues that point to Georgia as a likely home base for the movie.
IATSE 479, the local crew union, informed its members this week that a new theatrical film dubbed “Charlotte” will begin pre-production at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville in November and shoot from mid-March until July.
In late August, Tom Cruise on social media announced the sequel to “Days of Thunder” was going to be released in 2028. He plans to reprise his role from the 1990 film as hotshot NASCAR racer Cole Trickle. Anne Hathaway, in the new version, will be co-lead as a race car team owner and engineer.
Hathaway told Entertainment Tonight that filming of “Days of Thunder 2″ would begin in March, which would match the start month of “Charlotte.” “Charlotte” is likely an alias, a common ruse by studios to mask major productions. (An Amazon limited series “The Challenger” starring Kristen Stewart currently shooting in metro Atlanta is using the pseudonym “Dragonfly,” while Apple TV+’s “Guilty Creatures” is under the name “Alligator.”)
Parts of the original “Days of Thunder” were shot in Charlotte, N.C.
Trilith Studios has been home to dozens of big-budget films and TV series over the past 13 years, including two “Avengers” movies, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and 2025’s “Superman.” It now has 34 soundstages and a 400-acre backlot, the largest studio of its kind in North America.
Trilith is also conveniently only about 18 miles from EchoPark Speedway, a NASCAR home previously known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, in Hampton.
And while many big-budget movies have gone overseas seeking cheaper labor costs, it would make creative sense to shoot a NASCAR-themed movie in the Southeast, where at least a dozen major tracks are located.
“Days of Thunder 2″ would be a major boost for Georgia’s struggling film industry, which lost Marvel movies to the United Kingdom in 2024 and has seen other states and countries boost their tax credit systems in an effort to take business away from Georgia.
Despite the failure of Cruise’s latest movie, “Digger,” he remains one of the biggest stars in the world following 2022’s hit “Top Gun” sequel and the latest “Mission Impossible” film in 2025.