‘Digger’ Final Trailer Showcases Tom Cruise’s Stunning Transformation

Alejandro G. Iñárritu has established a reputation for ambitious, genre-defying projects, ranging from the intense survival drama of ‘The Revenant’ to the surreal exploration in ‘Birdman.’ His latest endeavor, ‘Digger,’ teams him with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars for a film that breaks new ground for both.

‘Digger’ is a satirical black comedy and marks Iñárritu’s first English-language film since ‘The Revenant’ and Tom Cruise’s inaugural project under his new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. The film is described as a comedy of catastrophic proportions, following billionaire energy tycoon Digger Rockwell as he races against time to avert a disaster of his own making.

With the film’s release on October 2 just weeks away, Warner Bros. has unveiled the final trailer, offering audiences a comprehensive look at Cruise’s dramatic transformation into the aging, potbellied oil magnate central to the narrative. The new footage emphasizes the film’s absurdist tone, showcasing Digger’s frantic attempts to position himself as humanity’s savior, even as the disaster he created threatens to spiral out of control.

The plot centers on Digger Rockwell, a billionaire whose company may have triggered an ecological disaster that could lead to nuclear war, compelling him to embark on a desperate mission to prove he’s the only one capable of fixing it. Cruise embodies the role with a thick Southern accent, thinning combed-over hair, and a noticeably different physical presence than what audiences typically expect from the action star.

Joining Cruise in the ensemble cast are Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, and Emma D’Arcy, creating a cast that matches the scale of Iñárritu’s satirical vision. Notably, Goodman voices the U.S. president in the film’s marketing, delivering a memorable line about Digger being responsible for the mess and the one who will dig everyone out of it.

Cruise has discussed the uniquely collaborative process behind the film’s creation. He revealed that Iñárritu spent several days reading the script aloud to him, allowing him to fully grasp the director’s vision before contributing his own ideas—a method he has used with select filmmakers throughout his career.

At a recent trailer launch event on the Warner Bros. lot, Cruise told The Hollywood Reporter that he had never faced a project that challenged him in quite this manner, a sentiment that he echoed regarding Iñárritu. He has also referred to ‘Digger’ multiple times as the culmination of his career, marking a significant departure after nearly a decade focused on franchise filmmaking.

Despite Warner Bros. officially citing a $125,000,000 production budget, reports about the film’s actual cost have been inconsistent. Some industry insiders suggest the true figure may be closer to $200,000,000, although the studio has not confirmed any number beyond its initial estimate.

Shot on VistaVision by acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the film’s striking visual style has drawn comparisons to filmmakers like Roy Andersson, while its apocalyptic satire and bumbling political figures have invited inevitable comparisons to ‘Dr. Strangelove.’

With ‘Digger’ skipping the traditional festival circuit entirely, unlike Paul Thomas Anderson’s awards-season favorite ‘One Battle After Another’ from the previous year, the film’s marketing campaign has had to work harder to generate buzz ahead of its release. Whether this final trailer succeeds in building that momentum remains to be seen, but with Cruise and Iñárritu both describing the project as a genuine creative risk, ‘Digger’ is poised to be one of October’s most discussed releases.

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