Award-winning actor Tom Cruise is stepping into a dynamic new starring role with Digger, an original dark comedy from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu opening in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 2.

The film puts one of Hollywood’s most recognizable action stars at the center of a story about power, ambition and a catastrophe of his own making. Cruise (Mission Impossible, Top Gun) is Digger Rockwell, a southern tycoon who finds himself racing to prove he can save humanity after his company accidentally triggers a massive climate catastrophe.

The cast surrounding Cruise is equally impressive including Oscar winner Riz Ahmed (Bait, The Long Goodbye) and Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, Project Hail Mary), and John Goodman (The Big Lebowski) as the eccentric U.S. President Compson.

Much of the anticipation surrounding Digger comes from the collaboration between Cruise and Iñárritu. Iñárritu won Academy Awards for directing and writing Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and directing The Revenant. The pairing brings together a filmmaker known for ambitious, visually distinctive dramas and an actor synonymous with large-scale theatrical entertainment.

Cruise described his Digger character as the product of an unusually personal creative process. He has said that he developed Digger over time and worked closely with Iñárritu to shape the character’s physicality, voice and mannerisms. Cruise’s Digger is an aging, potbellied cowboy with a thinning combover—marking a significant departure from the polished characters we know from his blockbuster franchises that have defined much of Cruise’s recent career.

The performance reportedly includes a 10-minute monologue filmed in a single take, adding another layer of curiosity to a role that gives a nod to his previous acclaimed character monologues in such films as Jerry McGuire, Magnolia and A Few Good Men. Who can forget Cruise’s “Seduce and Destroy” speech as Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia which he delivered with intense confidence and swagger? We can expect more of that in Digger as he swings between bravado, rage, comedy and vulnerability putting the actor’s command of voice, physicality and character squarely on display.

The production also reunites Iñárritu with longtime collaborators, including Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and production designer Dennis Gassner, readying the film for its IMAX debut.

With its unusual premise, Oscar-caliber ensemble and major Hollywood talents working together for the first time, Digger is one of the more closely watched original films of the 2026 fall movie season.

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