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Tom Cruise has played a variety of roles throughout the course of his career, but his latest is shaping to be one of his most transformative performances to date. His 2026 movie schedule entry is Digger, the newest film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Details on the film have been kept tightly under wraps, and fans haven’t gotten to see much footage. Now, though, the public has been treated to yet another look at the film, and this latest look at the titular character is giving major Les Grossman energy.
Warner Bros. recently released a retrospective that covers Cruise’s career thus far, and it’s a nostalgia-inducing piece of work. As part of that video, fans received a fresh look at Digger, in which Cruise plays the titular Digger Rockwell, who’s an incredibly powerful man. Check out the video below to see the tease:
Per the few plot details that have been released on Iñárritu’s latest film, which he co-wrote, it centers around Digger as he tries to prevent a disaster from destroying humanity. During his appearance at CinemaCon 2026, Cruise talked about taking on the role, saying it “took 40 years for me to be able to put on the boots of Digger Rockwell and to reveal the many layers of the character.”
Iñárritu also hyped up his leading man during the event and acknowledged that while Cruise has done plenty of stunts in his time, “embodying this character is another kind of fearless.”
It’s hard to disagree with that assertion based on the footage that’s been shown thus far. What really strikes me is the level of physicality Cruise seems to be bringing to the role. So it's fitting that the official poster shows the character in mid-action. Check out the one-sheet Cruise shared:
Footage was also screened at CinemaCon, and the reception was positive, with many noting the transformation Cruise underwent for the role. Emma D’Arcy, one of Cruise’s co-stars, also gushed about his work and called the experience of watching him “unparalleled.” In addition to D’Arcy, the ensemble includes other talented stars, including Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman. Needless to say, Iñárritu assembled a strong group of performers.
I wasn't sure what Cruise would do next when he was finished with the Mission: Impossible franchise, but I think this is a great first post-M:I production. What I'm hoping is that this marks Cruise's return to more character-centric pieces. Not to say that Ethan Hunt isn't a well-developed character, but I'm hopeful Cruise will get back to his somewhat smaller roots.
Digger opens in theaters on October 2, 2026. It’s far too early to say whether this could end up being one of Tom Cruise’s best movies. However, I’m truly hopeful that this will end up being something special. In the meantime, check out Cruise’s performance as Grossman by streaming Tropic Thunder with a Paramount+ subscription.
