Tom Cruise’s new Digger teaser has fans talking before the movie’s main trailer even arrives.
The latest look at Cruise’s upcoming Warner Bros. film with Alejandro G. Iñárritu runs just over three minutes, but most of that time is not footage from Digger. Instead, it opens with a long montage of Cruise’s past roles before finally cutting to the new movie.
People reported that the first two and a half minutes focus on Cruise’s filmography, with clips from Risky Business, A Few Good Men, Rain Man, Mission: Impossible, War of the Worlds, and other titles.
The teaser then shifts into footage of Cruise as Digger Rockwell, the lead character in Iñárritu’s dark satire.
The Digger Teaser Starts With Tom Cruise’s Movie Legacy
The teaser dropped June 23 and quickly drew attention because it does not play like a standard first look at a new movie.
People reported that the montage ends with a shot of Cruise from the original Top Gun and a voiceover from Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning before the footage moves into Digger.
Some viewers on Reddit and X said they were confused by the approach. People reported that a few thought the teaser was leading into theatrical re-releases of older Cruise movies, while others saw it as a career-retrospective setup for his next major role.
Digger Shows Cruise as an Oil Tycoon
Entertainment Weekly reported that Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a powerful tycoon trying to prove he can save humanity before a disaster he unleashed destroys everything.
The movie is billed as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions.” People reported that it was shot entirely in VistaVision and shows Cruise with a Southern accent and thinning white hair.
The new footage includes Rockwell preparing to tell a room the “hard truth,” crowds shouting, fighter jets, fire, and a shot of Cruise’s character jumping into a split.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu Directed the Movie
Digger marks Cruise’s first collaboration with Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning director behind Birdman and The Revenant.
Entertainment Weekly reported that the film is Iñárritu’s first English-language movie since The Revenant. The cast also includes John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Emma D’Arcy, Sophie Wilde, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Iñárritu told Deadline, in comments quoted by EW, that the movie is a “brutal, wild comedy of catastrophic proportions.” He said Cruise made him laugh every day during filming and that he found new range in the actor.
Tom Cruise Shared the Teaser Himself
For the last 46 years, it has been my privilege to work alongside countless talented artists and crews to create these characters, stories, and films for you all.
I’m looking forward to seeing you at the movies! DIGGER. Only in theaters this October. pic.twitter.com/pgQMYwhUci
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 23, 2026
Cruise shared the teaser on X and wrote that it had been his privilege over the last 46 years to work with artists and crews on the characters, stories, and films shown in the montage.
“I’m looking forward to seeing you at the movies! DIGGER. Only in theaters this October,” he wrote.
People reported that J.J. Abrams, who directed Cruise in Mission: Impossible III, also praised the project on X after seeing part of the film. Abrams called it a bold and wild next step for Cruise.
Digger Arrives in October
Digger is set to hit theaters on Oct. 2, 2026.
The teaser’s structure gave the movie an unusual first hook. Viewers saw more of Cruise’s past than his new character, then got a brief look at a role that moves him away from the stunt-driven action persona of his recent Mission: Impossible and Top Gun work.
The full trailer is expected July 13.