Final ‘Digger’ Trailer Shows Tom Cruise like You’ve Never Seen Him Before

Tom Cruise is usually the guy running, fighting, flying planes, or saving the world. In Digger, he looks like almost none of those things. The new final trailer for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming black comedy gives fans a much better look at Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a wealthy energy businessman who has helped create a disaster so huge that it could threaten the entire world. Instead of being the perfect action hero, Cruise is playing a strange, aging billionaire who seems convinced that he can somehow fix everything.

The transformation is one of the first things that stands out. Cruise appears with a heavier body, thinning hair, a comb-over, and a strong Southern accent. It is a very different look for an actor who has spent much of his recent career playing characters who are physically fit and ready for almost anything. The trailer makes it clear that Digger is not supposed to be a traditional hero. He is a powerful man who has spent years believing he can control everything, only to discover that his own actions may have created a problem far beyond his control.

The story follows Digger after an environmental disaster connected to his business begins turning into something much worse. The situation becomes so dangerous that it could even lead to a nuclear conflict. Rather than quietly accepting responsibility, Digger seems determined to put himself at the center of the solution. That creates much of the film’s comedy, because he wants everyone to see him as the person who can save humanity, even though he may be one of the main reasons humanity is in trouble in the first place.

Warner Bros.’ final trailer also gives audiences a stronger idea of the strange tone Iñárritu is going for. The movie appears to mix huge global stakes with awkward characters, political chaos, and very dark humor. It is a big change from the intense dramas that have made the director famous. Iñárritu previously won major praise for films such as Birdman and The Revenant, and Digger marks his first English-language movie since The Revenant.

Cruise is surrounded by a surprisingly large cast. Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Emma D’Arcy, and John Goodman all have major roles. Goodman is especially interesting because he voices the U.S. president, who appears to understand exactly how much trouble Digger has caused. The trailer plays with the idea that the same man who created the problem may also be the person everyone is now expecting to solve it.

According to Cruise’s comments to The Hollywood Reporter, the making of Digger was unlike most projects he has worked on. He explained that Iñárritu spent several days reading the script to him, giving the actor time to understand the director’s approach before they began shaping the character together. Cruise later said, “I’ve never had a project challenge me like this,” while also suggesting that the experience pushed Iñárritu in new ways as well. Cruise has even described the movie as a kind of culmination of his career, which makes the unusual role even more interesting.

There is also plenty of mystery surrounding how much the movie actually cost. Warner Bros. has listed the production budget at $125 million, but some reports have suggested the real number could be much higher, possibly approaching $200 million. The movie was shot in VistaVision by acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, giving it a large and polished visual style that fits the story’s huge scale. Early comparisons have pointed toward the strange comedy of Roy Andersson and the political madness of Dr. Strangelove.

Digger is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 2. The movie has skipped the usual festival run, so the final trailer may be one of the most important chances Warner Bros. has to convince audiences that this unusual project is worth seeing. With Cruise taking on one of the strangest roles of his career and Iñárritu stepping into dark comedy, Digger could end up being one of the most unexpected movies of the fall.

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