Warner Bros. has unveiled the first full trailer for Digger, offering audiences their first extended look at one of the year’s most unusual studio releases. Directed by two-time Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the film stars Tom Cruise in a role unlike any he has played before, transforming the action icon into an eccentric billionaire at the center of an environmental catastrophe with global consequences.
Described by the studio as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions,” Digger is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 2, 2026, marking Iñárritu’s first English-language feature since The Revenant and Cruise’s first major original starring vehicle outside an established franchise in nearly a decade.
The trailer introduces Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a flamboyant Southern billionaire whose energy empire appears to have triggered an ecological disaster capable of spiraling into a worldwide crisis. Nearly unrecognizable beneath heavy prosthetics, Cruise sports a thick Southern accent, a thinning white comb-over, and a potbelly, creating one of the most dramatic physical transformations of his career.
Warner Bros. describes Rockwell as “the most powerful man in the world,” a business tycoon forced into a desperate race against time after his own company unleashes an environmental catastrophe that threatens to escalate into a nuclear conflict. As governments scramble to contain the crisis, Rockwell embarks on what the studio calls a frantic mission to convince the world that he is humanity’s last hope before the disaster destroys everything.
The footage blends political satire, environmental disaster, dark comedy, and large-scale spectacle, suggesting a tonal departure from both Cruise’s recent action blockbusters and Iñárritu’s previous dramatic work. Massive explosions, collapsing industrial facilities, emergency summits, and increasingly absurd public appearances by Rockwell dominate the trailer, which balances global-scale stakes with moments of biting comedy.
For Cruise, the project represents one of the biggest creative departures of his career. Best known in recent years for leading blockbuster franchises such as Mission: Impossible and Top Gun, the actor has rarely taken on a character-driven satirical role of this scale. His last major original leading role came with American Made in 2017, making Digger a significant return to non-franchise filmmaking.
Speaking about the film, Cruise described the experience as unlike anything he had tackled before.
“I have never had something that could challenge me in this way, and neither has Alejandro.”
The actor added that developing Digger Rockwell required years of collaboration with Iñárritu, calling it one of the most creatively demanding experiences of his career.
For Iñárritu, Digger marks another major evolution in a career defined by constant reinvention. After winning consecutive Academy Awards for Birdman and The Revenant, the filmmaker returned to Spanish-language cinema with Bardo before embarking on his latest English-language feature. While his previous films explored themes of identity, survival, and artistic ambition through drama, Digger embraces absurdist comedy while continuing to examine power, human ego, and global crises.
The screenplay reunites Iñárritu with longtime collaborators Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolás Giacobone, who both shared the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Birdman, alongside acclaimed Mexican writer Sabina Berman.
The film also boasts one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. Alongside Cruise, Digger stars Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Emma D’Arcy, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg, John Goodman, Robert John Burke, and Burn Gorman. Goodman appears prominently in the trailer as the President of the United States, urging Rockwell to confront the crisis unfolding across the globe.
Behind the camera, Digger reunites Iñárritu with legendary cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose collaborations with the director on Birdman and The Revenant earned widespread acclaim. The production was shot entirely using VistaVision, reviving the classic large-format film format to deliver enhanced image quality and sweeping cinematic scale.
The film is being produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Entertainment, TC Productions, and M Productions, with industry reports placing its production budget at approximately $125 million. The investment reflects Warner Bros.’ continued commitment to filmmaker-driven original features at a time when theatrical schedules remain dominated by sequels, remakes, and established franchises.
Since its release, the trailer has generated widespread discussion online, with much of the attention focused on Cruise’s startling transformation and the film’s unconventional tone. Many viewers have compared its blend of political satire and disaster comedy to classics such as Dr. Strangelove and more recent films like Don’t Look Up, while others have highlighted the rarity of seeing Cruise step so completely outside his familiar blockbuster persona.
With an Oscar-winning director returning to English-language filmmaking, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars undergoing a career-defining transformation, and an ambitious original story tackling power, climate catastrophe, and political absurdity, Digger is already emerging as one of the most closely watched theatrical releases of the fall. The trailer suggests audiences can expect something far removed from both a conventional Tom Cruise blockbuster and a traditional Alejandro G. Iñárritu drama when the film arrives in theaters this October.
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