Tom Cruise is stepping far away from the polished action-hero image that has defined much of his recent career in the first full trailer for Digger.
People reported that Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an unruly oil magnate who believes he can prove he is humanity’s hero before a disaster he helped unleash destroys everything.
Just Jared reported that the new trailer shows Cruise in a major physical transformation for director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s movie.
Cruise Plays a Chaotic Oil Magnate
The trailer introduces Digger Rockwell as a volatile figure whose company’s project may lead to an enormous global disaster. People reported that the footage opens with Digger worrying about his cat’s health before shouting at an employee who wants to shut down the dangerous project.
The movie’s official logline says Digger goes on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he caused destroys everything.
That setup gives the film a darker comic edge, with Warner Bros. describing it as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions.”
The Role Marks a Big Shift for Cruise
Cruise has spent recent years tied closely to the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises, so Digger immediately stands out.
People noted that it is his first major non-franchise movie in years, following 2017’s American Made. Entertainment Weekly also reported that the new footage gives the first clear look at Cruise’s heavy prosthetics, which make him appear older and heavier than audiences are used to seeing him.
Inarritu Called the Transformation Fearless
Inarritu praised Cruise’s commitment to the role during the film’s CinemaCon presentation. The director said audiences already know Cruise is fearless when it comes to stunts, but described the emotional and physical embodiment of Digger Rockwell as “another kind of fearless.”
Cruise also described the movie as a major challenge. People reported that he said he had never had something challenge him in this way and called the film “totally original.”
At CinemaCon, Cruise said it took 40 years for him to be able to “put on the boots of Digger Rockwell.”
The Cast Is Packed With Awards-Level Talent
Digger also surrounds Cruise with a major ensemble. The cast includes Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Emma D’Arcy, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman.
Inarritu co-wrote the film with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Plemons described the script as one of the strangest, funniest and most tragic he had read, comparing part of its tone to a modern Dr. Strangelove.
Digger is scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 2, 2026.