The collaboration between Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu now has a name, a first look, and a calendar date. Warner Bros. revealed the project is titled Digger, shared its first teaser and poster, and scheduled its release for October 2, 2026. The film, described as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions,” signals a major shift for Cruise into a genre far from his recent action blockbusters.
Official Title and First Look Revealed
After months of production under a secretive veil, the film’s title and first visual material were unveiled. Tom Cruise announced the news on his social media accounts, confirming the movie is called Digger. The announcement was accompanied by a Saul Bass-inspired poster and a brief teaser video.
The teaser offers intriguing but cryptic glimpses. It features a man, implied to be Cruise’s character, in a modest apartment and on a pier, wielding a shovel and wearing cowboy boots. The footage is set to the song “O Green World” by the virtual band Gorillaz. Notably, Cruise appears to be wearing makeup or prosthetics, suggesting a physical transformation for the role. The poster formally labels the film Digger and includes the descriptive tagline: “A Comedy of Catastrophic Proportions”.
The Story and Creative Team
While the full plot remains closely guarded, a studio-provided logline gives a clearer sense of the story. Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, “the most powerful man in the world”. The logline states his character “embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything”. This premise aligns with the catastrophic comedy tone hinted at in the marketing.
The film marks a significant partnership on both sides of the camera. For Iñárritu, Digger is his first English-language film since The Revenant in 2015. He directs from a script he co-wrote with his frequent collaborators Nicolás Giacobone and Alexander Dinelaris Jr., alongside writer Sabina Berman. This trio previously won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Iñárritu’s Birdman. Iñárritu and Cruise also serve as producers.
The director has spoken highly of his experience working with Cruise. Iñárritu called it “the most amazing, unexpected, sweet, gentle relation that I have had on a set”. He praised Cruise’s devotion to the filmmaking process, adding, “He will surprise the world. People will see a new kind of thing”.
An Acclaimed Ensemble Cast
Digger boasts a supporting cast filled with acclaimed and recognizable actors. The ensemble includes recent Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), veteran actor John Goodman, and Michael Stuhlbarg. The cast also features Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, and Emma D’Arcy from House of the Dragon. This gathering of talent points to the film’s substantial dramatic and comedic ambitions.
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Production Details and Release Strategy
Principal photography for Digger took place in the United Kingdom over six months, beginning in November 2024 and wrapping in early May 2025. The film was shot on 35mm VistaVision film by legendary cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, a frequent Iñárritu collaborator who has won three Academy Awards for cinematography. Production faced a brief, two-day pause in March 2025 when John Goodman sustained a minor hip injury.
The chosen release date of October 2, 2026, positions the film squarely in the fall awards season. Furthermore, the film is scheduled for release in IMAX theaters. The autumn timing strongly suggests Digger will make its world premiere at a major international film festival. Iñárritu has a longstanding relationship with the Venice Film Festival, where he has previously premiered films like Birdman and Bardo, making it a likely candidate for Digger‘s debut.
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