The Digger movie just dropped its first real footage, and Tom Cruise is completely unrecognizable.
Forget Ethan Hunt, forget Maverick.15 Cruise’s latest film features one of his greatest transformations yet, as he becomes Digger Rockwell, sporting a thick Southern accent, a beer belly, and thinning white hair styled in an unconvincing combover to play an oil baron whose company may have set off an ecological disaster.
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This is the biggest movie event of fall 2026, and we have broken down every detail you need to know.
📌 Quick Facts: Digger Movie (2026)
- Release Date: October 2, 2026 (IMAX)
- Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant)
- Lead Star: Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell
- Budget: $125 Million
- Full Trailer Date: July 13, 2026
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures
What Is the Digger Movie About?
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. 5 The film finds Cruise donning old-age makeup, a fake pot belly, and a broad Southern accent to play a reclusive energy tycoon who ignored a key warning about one of his pipelines and causes a global catastrophe. 5 He’s then ordered to put things right by John Goodman’s aged U.S. president, who says, “Digger got us into this mess, and Digger’s gotta dig us out again.”
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Warner Bros. is calling it “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.”
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Digger Movie: Full Star Cast & Roles
| Actor | Role | Known For |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Cruise | Digger Rockwell (Oil Tycoon) | Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible |
| John Goodman | President of the United States | The Big Lebowski, 10 Cloverfield Lane |
| Jesse Plemons | Undisclosed | Killers of the Flower Moon, The Power of the Dog |
| Sandra Hüller | Undisclosed | Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest |
| Riz Ahmed | Undisclosed | Sound of Metal, Mogul Mowgli |
| Sophie Wilde | Undisclosed | Talk to Me |
| Emma D’Arcy | Undisclosed | House of the Dragon |
| Michael Stuhlbarg | Undisclosed | Call Me by Your Name, A Serious Man |
| Robert John Burke | Undisclosed | Tombstone, RoboCop 3 |
| Burn Gorman | Undisclosed | The Dark Knight Rises, Pacific Rim |
| Pip Torrens | Undisclosed | The Crown, Poldark |
1 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 movie
This cast is absolutely stacked with Oscar nominees and winners.
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When Did the Digger Movie Trailer Drop?
1 Thirty seconds of footage from the film were shown after a retrospective of Cruise’s film career, starting on May 13, before screenings of the re-releases of *Top Gun* (1986) and *Top Gun: Maverick* (2022), and the trailer was eventually released online on June 23. 15 The full trailer for *Digger* will be released on **July 13**, with the film debuting in theaters on October 2.
Digger Movie: Key Dates Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 2024 | Project announced with Iñárritu directing |
| August 2024 | Ensemble cast revealed |
| November 2024 | Principal photography begins at Pinewood Studios, UK |
| May 3, 2025 | Production wraps after 6 months |
| December 18, 2025 | Title “Digger” officially revealed with teaser |
| April 14, 2026 | New footage shown at CinemaCon 2026 |
| June 23, 2026 | Retrospective trailer released online |
| July 13, 2026 | Full theatrical trailer drops |
| October 2, 2026 | Worldwide theatrical release (IMAX) |
Why Is the Digger Movie a Potential Oscar Contender?
19 Because of Iñárritu’s history at the Academy Awards with a Best Picture win and back-to-back Best Director Oscars, *Digger* has been penciled as a major potential awards contender and one that could earn Cruise his fourth acting Oscar nomination and his first since *Magnolia* in 2000. 13 Jesse Plemons teased the script by saying, “It’s one of the strangest, funniest, most tragic scripts I’ve read. There’s a kind of modern-day *Dr. Strangelove* thing, and then it becomes something else entirely.” 1 The Hollywood Reporter called the CinemaCon footage among the best shown at that year’s event.
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Iñárritu’s Oscar Track Record
| Film | Year | Awards Won |
|---|---|---|
| Birdman | 2014 | Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay |
| The Revenant | 2015 | Best Director, Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Cinematography |
| Bardo | 2022 | Oscar Nomination for Best Cinematography |
| Digger | 2026 | Strong Awards Buzz |
Our team is already predicting this film will dominate the award season conversation.
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Digger Movie: Production Details at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Director | Alejandro G. Iñárritu |
| Screenplay | Iñárritu, Dinelaris, Giacobone, Berman |
| Cinematographer | Emmanuel Lubezki |
| Film Format | 35mm VistaVision |
| Filming Location | Pinewood Studios, UK |
| Budget | $125 Million |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros., Legendary, TC Productions |
| Genre | Satirical Black Comedy / Drama |
| Runtime | 1 hour 46 minutes |
7 Shot on 35mm VistaVision by Emmanuel Lubezki, the film blends visual poetry with darkly comedic storytelling. 3 This is Tom Cruise’s first film since signing a deal to make films with Warner Bros., and it marks Iñárritu’s first English-language film since *The Revenant* starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
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4 Reasons to Watch the Digger Movie
- Tom Cruise’s Transformation: He reportedly disappears into the role entirely, similar to what he did in Tropic Thunder nearly two decades ago, according to Gold Derby.
- Iñárritu’s Vision: This is the same director who gave us Birdman and The Revenant. His first comedy since Birdman is reason enough.
- Powerhouse Cast: Plemons, Goodman, Hüller, Ahmed, and D’Arcy in a single film is a casting dream as per IMDb data.
- Shot on 35mm Film: In a digital age, Lubezki shooting on VistaVision guarantees a visual experience worth the IMAX ticket, as confirmed by Variety.
Fans waiting for October can meanwhile catch up with our latest movie reviews and OTT updates.
Final Verdict: Is the Digger Movie Worth the Hype?
Every signal points to yes.
Tom Cruise playing an eccentric oil tycoon under heavy prosthetics, directed by a back-to-back Oscar-winning filmmaker, with a $125 million budget and a cast full of awards-caliber actors?
This is not just another Hollywood blockbuster.
This is the kind of film that defines a career.
The full trailer drops July 13, 2026, and we will be covering every frame of it right here at movierulzmn.com.
