Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Digger

Digger Took "All Of [Tom Cruise's] Knowledge, From All The Years"

Digger star Tom Cruise says that this "took all of my knowledge, from all of the years of every film I made, to be able to play this character."

It's been a bit unclear exactly what Digger was going to be until the film's footage dropped, and then… well, it's still a bit unclear what is going on here, but that also seems to be the point. It's also unclear whether anyone at Warner Bros. wants to clear it up, or if they are going to try and promote this entire film on the buckwild performance that star Tom Cruise is looking like he's going to deliver. So far, that is the main thing everyone is talking about, and Cruise is very much leaning into the line we hear during awards season: "This is the role all of my other roles have been preparing me for." Cruise essentially said the same thing while speaking to Empire recently and also noted that he was so excited when director Alejandro G. Iñárritu showed him what they were building.

"[This role was] a real leap into the unknown. … It took all of my knowledge, from all of the years of every film I made, to be able to play this character and fulfill the ambition of this movie," Cruise said. "[Iñárritu] showed me, 'Here's kind of the character that I want.' I was like, 'Let's fucking go.' I couldn't wait."

Cruise went on to explain that he did a special reading of the Digger script with Iñárritu, who performed it with him. Cruise explained, "I've always done that. I want the writer to read me his idea, because then I can see where we're going. We're exploring rhythms, and I'm feeling the world. I'm literally an audience. I want to hear his voice. I want to understand, and see the world the way he sees it. … I can change the voice, and as the make-up's coming on, you start feeling the movement, you put the suit on, the boots, and I find my own rhythm with it." So it sounds like directors are right there on the front lines as Cruise builds whatever buckwild performance he is about to unleash on the world, so at least they know what's coming, even if everyone else might be walking in blind.

Digger: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Academy Award winner Tom Cruise stars in Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu's original film Digger, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures.

The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything.

Cruise stars in the title role, alongside Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons. Robert John Burke, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman, and Sophie Wilde also star.

Iñárritu directed from a screenplay by Iñárritu & Oscar-winners Alexander Dinelaris & Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman, story by Iñárritu & Berman. The film is produced by Iñárritu, Oscar nominee Mary Parent, Cruise, and Michael Sharp, and executive produced by Joshua Grode, Berman, Dinelaris, Giacobone, Jez Butterworth, and Emmanuel Lubezki.

Joining Iñárritu behind the camera are previous collaborators Oscar-winning director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki; editors Conor O'Neill and Oscar winner Stephen Mirrone; Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West; Oscar-winning makeup and hair designer Alessandro Bertolazzi; and Oscar-nominated casting director Francine Maisler, along with Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner and production designer Richard Johnson, Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup designer Kazu Hiro, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake.

An Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film, Digger was shot entirely in VistaVision and will be released in theaters and IMAX® across North America on October 2, 2026, and internationally beginning 30 September 2026. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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