Digger
Teaser poster
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Written by
  • Alejandro G. Iñárritu
  • Alexander Dinelaris
  • Nicolás Giacobone
  • Sabina Berman
Produced by
  • Alejandro G. Iñárritu
  • Tom Cruise
  • Mary Parent
Starring
  • Tom Cruise
  • Jesse Plemons
  • Sandra Hüller
  • Riz Ahmed
  • Sophie Wilde
  • Emma D'Arcy
  • Michael Stuhlbarg
  • John Goodman
Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki
Edited by
  • Stephen Mirrione
Music by Daniel Pemberton
Production
companies
  • Legendary Pictures
  • TC Productions
  • M Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • October 2, 2026 (2026-10-02)
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Mexico
Language English
Budget $125 million[1]

Digger is an upcoming satirical black comedy film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who co-wrote the film with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Nicolás Giacobone. It is a co-production of the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico.[2] The film is led by Tom Cruise alongside an ensemble cast featuring Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Emma D'Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and John Goodman.

Digger is scheduled to be released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 2, 2026.

Premise

The most powerful man in the world races to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything.[3]

Cast

  • Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell[4]
  • Sandra Hüller
  • Jesse Plemons
  • John Goodman as the President of the United States[5]
  • Riz Ahmed as Ganesh, the President's assistant
  • Michael Stuhlbarg
  • Sophie Wilde
  • Emma D'Arcy
  • Robert John Burke
  • Burn Gorman
  • Pip Torrens
  • Mercedes Hernández as Digger’s housekeeper[6]

Production

Development

In February 2024, it was announced that Alejandro G. Iñárritu would be directing his first English-language film since The Revenant (2015), which he co-wrote and produced. Tom Cruise was cast in the lead role after attending a meeting with Iñárritu, following his strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures. Cruise had seen Iñárritu's directorial debut Amores perros (2000) in its initial release, and the pair had begun discussing the film in 2019 while Cruise was filming Top Gun: Maverick (2022).[7] Legendary Pictures was announced to produce the film.[8] In August, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sophie Wilde would be added to the cast, with Riz Ahmed in negotiations to also join.[9] In early 2025, Emma D'Arcy, Robert John Burke and Burn Gorman were revealed to have joined the cast.[10][11]

Filming

Principal photography began in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2024, taking place at Pinewood Studios, with Emmanuel Lubezki serving as the cinematographer and concluded in late April 2025.[12][13][14] The film was shot on 35 mm film using VistaVision.[15] Filming was halted for two days in March 2025 when Goodman endured a minor hip injury for which he was hospitalized.[16] Production wrapped on May 3, 2025, after six months of filming under the working title Judy.[17][18] Later that month, Iñárritu confirmed in an interview that the film would be a comedy.[17]

Post-production

In December 2025, the title was officially revealed as Digger alongside a 50-second teaser with the song "O Green World" by Gorillaz.[19] Also in December, journalist Matt Belloni reported that the film had been greenlit with a $125 million production budget, as a part of the Warner Bros. Pictures chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy strategy of auteur driven productions, following the critical successes of Sinners and One Battle After Another in 2025.[1] Industrial Light & Magic and Legacy Effects are providing the visual effects.[20][21]

The film is a co-production of the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico.[2]

Release

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 2, 2026, in IMAX.[22][23]

Marketing

On April 14, 2026, Cruise and Iñárritu presented new footage during the Warner Bros. Pictures panel at CinemaCon 2026.[5] The Hollywood Reporter called the footage among the best shown at that year's CinemaCon.[24] Thirty seconds of footage from the film were shown after a retrospective of Cruise's film career over the years before screenings of the re-releases of Cruise's films Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022) starting on May 13; the trailer was eventually released online a month later on June 23, followed by three teaser posters, with a full trailer set to be released on July 13.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b Belloni, Matthew (December 30, 2025). "Hollywood's Heroes of the Year Are… The Warner Bros. Duo". Puck. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Digger (2026)". The Numbers.com. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  3. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (December 31, 2025). "10 Big Movies We Expect to See at Cannes or Venice 2026, From Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' to Tom Cruise and Iñárritu's 'Digger'". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  4. ^ @WarnerBros. (December 18, 2025). "Tom Cruise is Digger Rockwell" (Tweet). Retrieved December 18, 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  5. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (April 14, 2026). "Tom Cruise in the House! Alejandro G. Iñárritu Touts Star's Transformative 'Digger' Turn at CinemaCon: 'Another Kind of Fearless'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  6. ^ Ortiz, César Huerta (April 25, 2026). "Mercedes Hernández, del Ariel al set con Tom Cruise". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  7. ^ Lang, Brent; Rubin, Rebecca (April 15, 2026). "'Digger' Trailer at CinemaCon Shows Tom Cruise Transformed Into Insane, Cat-Loving Billionaire With a Big Belly, a Comb Over and a Thick Southern Accent". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 22, 2024). "Tom Cruise To Star In Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Next Film At Warner Bros. And Legendary". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 23, 2024). "Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde & Riz Ahmed Board Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Tom Cruise Movie At Warners". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (April 14, 2025). "Breaking Baz: 'House of the Dragon's Emma D'Arcy Joins Tom Cruise And All-Star Cast Of Alejandro G. Iñárritu's New Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  11. ^ Grobar, Matt (May 29, 2025). "Robert John Burke & Burn Gorman Board Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Tom Cruise Film For Warner Bros".
  12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (October 22, 2024). "Tom Cruise, Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film at Warner Bros. and Legendary Sets U.K. Shoot (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "Issue 1425". Production Weekly. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Calnan, Ellie (November 7, 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Pennington, Adam (February 23, 2025). "Taking Stock — Shooting on Film". Definition Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  16. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (March 8, 2025). "John Goodman Injured During Warner Bros Movie Starring Tom Cruise, Filming Paused For Two Days In UK". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  17. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 20, 2025). "Alejandro González Iñárritu On How 'Amores Perros' Barked Loudly At Cannes 25 Years Ago; Teases New Tom Cruise Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  18. ^ McArdle, Tommy (May 21, 2025). "Tom Cruise Has a 'Total Madness' in Upcoming Movie with Revenant Director: 'It Is a Brutal, Wild Comedy'". People. Archived from the original on May 22, 2025.
  19. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 18, 2025). "Tom Cruise & Alejandro González Iñárritu's New Movie Unveils Title, Sets Fall 2026 Release". Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  20. ^ "Features". Legacy Effects. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  21. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 27, 2024). "'The Batman' Sequel Heads To 2027, Tom Cruise & Alejandro G. Iñárritu Pic Sets 2026 Release, 'Sinners' & 'Mickey 17' Switch Places". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "IMAX Investor Presentation October 2025". IMAX Corporation. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  24. ^ Hibberd, James (April 17, 2026). "Hollywood Winners & Losers: CinemaCon Edition — Marvel Soars, DC Slips". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  25. ^ Stenzel, Wesley (May 13, 2026). "Here's where you can see the first look at Tom Cruise's wild physical transformation in Digger". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 23, 2026.