Digger Trailer: Tom Cruise Unrecognisable as Oil Tycoon in Iñárritu’s Dark Comedy
Tom Cruise looks nothing like himself in the first full trailer for Digger, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s apocalyptic black comedy out October 2026.
Tom Cruise fans are used to seeing him hang off planes, scale skyscrapers and outrun explosions. Nobody was quite ready for a paunch, a comb-over and a thick Southern drawl. That’s the actor’s new look in Digger, and the trailer released this week has fans doing a double take.
The film pairs Cruise with two-time Oscar winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu for the first time, and it is nothing like a Mission: Impossible movie. Warner Bros. dropped the full trailer on its YouTube channel, giving audiences their clearest look yet at Cruise playing Digger Rockwell — an oil baron with a god complex and a company that may have just triggered the end of the world.
Who is Digger Rockwell?
Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, described by the studio as “the most powerful man in the world.” He’s a brash, cat-loving energy tycoon whose business decisions set off a looming ecological disaster — one big enough that it could spiral into nuclear conflict. The trailer leans hard into satire: Rockwell talks his way through the chaos he created, mixing panic with the swagger of a man who still thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room.
Physically, this is the biggest transformation Cruise has attempted in years. Gray hair, a heavier frame, a slightly unconvincing comb-over, and an accent pitched somewhere between a Texas oilman and a late-night preacher. It’s a deliberate departure from the sharp, lean action-hero image audiences associate with him, and that contrast is exactly what has people talking online.
What kind of movie is Digger?
Digger is billed as a satirical black comedy — Warner Bros. is calling it “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” It marks Iñárritu’s first English-language film since The Revenant, and his signature style is all over the trailer: sweeping visuals, dark humor, and a story that treats disaster as material for comedy rather than pure spectacle. The film was shot on 35mm using VistaVision, the same large-format process recently used on One Battle After Another, giving it a distinct big-screen texture.
Iñárritu co-wrote the script with his Birdman collaborators Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolás Giacobone, along with Sabina Berman, based on a story idea he’d been sitting on for roughly a decade before the pieces finally came together with Cruise attached.
The cat, the crisis, and a touch of humor
One detail that’s already become a talking point: amid the unfolding catastrophe, Rockwell keeps getting distracted by his cat. It’s a small, human beat dropped into a story about apocalyptic stakes, and it captures the tone Iñárritu seems to be going for — genuine dread played for laughs. The trailer is scored to a reworked version of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” which fits the mood of a man watching his empire (and possibly the planet) come apart around him.
Who else is in the cast?
Cruise leads an ensemble that includes Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman and Pip Torrens. Hüller, an Oscar nominee for Anatomy of a Fall, plays a character who appears positioned to help — or at least tolerate — Rockwell through the unfolding mess. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in the UK between late 2024 and mid-2025, with a brief production pause in March 2025 after Goodman was hospitalized for a minor hip injury; he returned to set within two days.
When does Digger release?
Warner Bros. will release Digger in theaters on October 2, 2026, including in India, where it opens the same day. Cruise shared the trailer on Instagram alongside the confirmed date, and the film’s autumn slot has fueled speculation about a possible Venice Film Festival premiere in September — a route Iñárritu has taken before with Birdman and Bardo.
FAQs
Q: What is the release date of Tom Cruise’s Digger?
A: Digger releases in theaters worldwide, including India, on October 2, 2026.
Q: What role does Tom Cruise play in Digger?
A: Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil tycoon whose company sets off a catastrophic ecological disaster.
Q: Who directed Digger?
A: The film is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, known for Birdman and The Revenant.
Q: Is Digger an action film like Cruise’s other movies?
A: No. Digger is a satirical black comedy, a sharp departure from Cruise’s usual action roles.
Q: Who else stars alongside Tom Cruise in Digger?
A: The cast includes Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman and Pip Torrens.
Conclusion
Digger is shaping up to be one of the more unexpected turns of Tom Cruise’s career — trading stunts for satire, and his usual polish for a character built on chaos and comb-overs. With Iñárritu’s track record and an ensemble cast full of award-nominated names, the film has already generated serious buzz ahead of its October 2, 2026 release. Whether it lands as awards contender or cult curiosity, audiences clearly weren’t expecting this version of Cruise — and that’s exactly the point.
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