'Digger' trailer unveils unrecognisable Tom Cruise as billionaire facing global catastrophe

Warner Bros confirms October release as Oscar winning director reunites after long break

Tom Cruise is taking on one of the most unconventional roles of his career in Digger, the latest feature from two time Academy Award winner Alejandro G Iñárritu. Warner Bros has unveiled the first trailer for the upcoming black comedy, revealing Cruise in a striking physical transformation as an eccentric oil billionaire whose actions place the world on the brink of catastrophe.

Scheduled to arrive in cinemas on October 2, Digger has been described as "a comedy of catastrophic proportions". The film marks Iñárritu's first English language feature since The Revenant and reunites the acclaimed filmmaker with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose visual collaborations have earned widespread acclaim throughout their careers.

Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, an immensely powerful oil magnate who speaks with a Southern accent and sports a pot belly along with thinning white hair. According to the film's official synopsis, Rockwell's company may have triggered a devastating ecological disaster that threatens to escalate into a nuclear conflict. As the crisis intensifies, he launches a desperate mission to convince the world that he is humanity's only hope before the consequences of his own actions destroy everything.

The ensemble cast includes John Goodman as an ailing United States president who urges Rockwell to resolve the crisis. Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed and Emma D'Arcy also feature in prominent roles.

Speaking during a special presentation at the Warner Bros lot in Los Angeles ahead of the trailer launch, Cruise described the film as one of the greatest creative challenges of his career. He praised Iñárritu's filmmaking, recalling that he became an admirer after watching the director's breakthrough feature Amores Perros in 2000. Cruise said he had admired the director's storytelling, visual style and attention to detail for years before they finally found the right project to make together.

The collaboration itself was years in the making. Cruise revealed that Iñárritu first pitched the idea around seven years ago. Rather than sending a completed screenplay, the director spent several days personally reading the script to Cruise, allowing the actor to understand every creative decision behind the project before production began.

Iñárritu also explained that the idea for Digger had remained with him for a decade before it finally reached the screen. He said he was searching for the right way to tell the story rather than rushing to make the film, describing it as absurd, dangerous and deeply comedic because tragedy often lies at the heart of great comedy.

Produced by Legendary Pictures, Digger was filmed in the United Kingdom over six months using VistaVision cameras. The screenplay was written by Iñárritu alongside Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Sabina Berman.

The project also represents Cruise's first film for Warner Bros since signing a development and production agreement with the studio in January 2024.