Tom Cruise looks almost unrecognisable in the newly released trailer for Digger, the upcoming satirical dark comedy from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu. According to ScreenRant, the latest footage offers the clearest look yet at Cruise’s dramatic transformation into oil tycoon Digger Rockwell.
The film stars Cruise as Rockwell, a powerful businessman who attempts to save the world from a global catastrophe that he himself has unleashed. The ensemble cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Emma D’Arcy, Sophie Wilde, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Warner Bros. unveiled the new trailer after first screening it at a special launch event attended by ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan. In an introductory message, Iñárritu describes Digger Rockwell as “the most charismatic catastrophe you have ever seen”, adding that, “like all the most dangerous people, he makes you want to agree with him.”
Set to Talking Heads’ classic Burning Down the House, the trailer opens with Digger stroking his pet cat while being told the animal has “between two weeks and five minutes to live”. The footage then shifts through a series of surreal scenes, including John Goodman as the President of the United States, military aircraft flying over ice caps, Cruise dancing with a shovel, and Goodman declaring, “Digger got us into this mess, and Digger’s gonna dig us out again.” Another voice asks, “Is that all the bad f***ing news?”
The trailer highlights Cruise’s striking physical and vocal transformation, making him almost impossible to recognise. It also showcases the film’s chaotic, darkly comic tone. During the launch event, organisers revealed that the film was shot entirely on VistaVision, a format designed to deliver a striking sense of scale and depth.
Although Warner Bros. has kept most plot details under wraps, Cruise’s unconventional performance has already generated significant excitement. Early predictions for the 2027 Academy Awards have placed Digger among the leading Best Picture contenders, while some observers believe Cruise could earn his first competitive Oscar. He received an honorary Academy Award this year and previously earned acting nominations for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia.
The project also marks Cruise’s first collaboration with four-time Academy Award winner Iñárritu, who won Best Director for Birdman and The Revenant. Birdman also earned Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, while Babel and The Revenant both received Best Picture nominations.
In his recorded introduction, Iñárritu revealed that the idea for Digger first came to him shortly after completing The Revenant. He explained that although he immediately understood the central character, it took nearly a decade to find the right way to tell the story. “I wasn’t looking for a story,” he said. “I was looking for the right way of saying it.”
Despite several major franchise releases still scheduled this year, including Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three, the latest trailer has further strengthened Digger’s status as one of the year’s most eagerly awaited standalone films. According to ScreenRant.
