Tom Cruise unveils remarkable Digger transformation in trailer
Warner Bros. released the first full Tom Cruise Digger trailer on Monday, showing the star almost unrecognizable as billionaire oil tycoon Digger Rockwell. The Alejandro González Iñárritu satirical comedy-drama opens worldwide in early October, with Cruise calling it the most challenging project of his decades-long career.
Key Takeaways
- The tom cruise digger trailer debuts Cruise in prosthetics as Digger Rockwell, an oil baron whose company may have triggered a global ecological disaster.
- Cruise said he has never faced a role that challenged him like this, and Iñárritu spent several days reading the script aloud before filming.
- John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, and Sandra Hüller join a cast led by Cruise in a comedy of catastrophic proportions.
- Digger was shot in the U.K. over six months using VistaVision and opens in theaters on Oct. 2.
What does the Tom Cruise Digger trailer reveal?
The first full-length trailer gives audiences their clearest look yet at Cruise's least recognizable role since his fatsuit turn in 2008's Tropic Thunder. He plays Digger Rockwell, described in the film's logline as the most powerful man in the world, sporting a grey combover, pot belly, and thick Southern accent.
Per the trailer, Digger's company may have set off an ecological disaster that could also spark nuclear war. He then embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. When an employee warns him about a shifting glacier, Digger lashes out before pivoting to control the narrative instead.
If we cannot control the course of nature, at least we can control the narrative, his character declares in the clip. John Goodman's ailing U.S. president orders Digger to fix the mess, with Variety reporting the repair bill could reach $18 trillion.
Why is Digger a career-defining shift for Cruise?
At a Warner Bros. launch event in Los Angeles ahead of the trailer drop, Cruise told press and fans the project was unlike anything he or Iñárritu had attempted. I have never had something that could challenge me in this way and neither has Alejandro when we went in, ever, Cruise said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. When you see this film, it is totally original.
The Hollywood Reporter notes Cruise framed Digger as the culmination of his 40-year career after a decade dominated by franchise blockbusters such as Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible. Iñárritu, in a video from London where he is finishing the sound mix, said Cruise told him it took 40 years to become this character.
The collaboration began around seven years ago, when Iñárritu pitched the idea after developing it since the end of his 2015 Oscar winner The Revenant. Cruise recalled that the director spent several days reading the script aloud so he could understand every detail in Iñárritu's mind before contributing to the collaboration.
Who else appears in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Digger?
Beyond Goodman as the president, the ensemble includes Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Sandra Hüller, and Emma D'Arcy. Iñárritu co-wrote the screenplay with Birdman collaborators Nicolás Giacobone and Alexander Dinelaris, plus Sabina Berman.
Legendary Pictures produced the Warner Bros. release, which marks Iñárritu's first English-language feature since The Revenant. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki shot the six-month U.K. production in VistaVision, a high-definition analog process that has returned to favor on recent prestige films.
When and where will Digger be released?
Digger arrives in theaters on Oct. 2, with The Guardian reporting a worldwide rollout in early October. It is Cruise's first Warner Bros. film since signing a development and production deal with the studio in January 2024, and his first release since Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.
For more premiere dates and casting news, follow our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage. Full trailer details and event quotes are documented in The Guardian's report.