Tom Cruise To Play World’s Most Powerful Man In Iñárritu’s ‘Digger,’ Set For 2026 Release

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s highly anticipated next feature starring Tom Cruise has officially been titled Digger and is set for a fall release on October 2, 2026. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment unveiled the film’s first poster and teaser, describing the project with the striking tagline, “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” The announcement immediately sparked excitement, marking a major collaboration between one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and an Oscar-winning filmmaker known for pushing cinematic boundaries.

Digger was shot across the U.K. over a six-month schedule and marks Iñárritu’s first English-language film since The Revenant. The filmmaker is producing and directing the project and co-wrote the script in 2023 alongside

his Birdman collaborators Nicolas Giacobone and Alexander Dinelaris, as well as Sabina Berman. Tom Cruise is also attached as a producer, strengthening the creative partnership behind the ambitious film.

Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a character shrouded in mystery. While plot details remain tightly guarded, Warner Bros. offered an intriguing logline describing Rockwell as “the most powerful man in the world” who “embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.” The film features an impressive ensemble cast including Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed and Emma D’Arcy.

The October release date positions Digger as a potential awards-season contender, with industry insiders speculating about a possible premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Iñárritu has a long-standing relationship with Venice, where he previously showcased Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, which went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography in 2023. Venice also hosted earlier milestones in his career, including Birdman, which won Best Picture in 2015, and 21 Grams.

The filmmaker’s festival history extends to Cannes as well. His debut Amores Perros premiered there 25 years ago, launching his international career, followed by Babel and Biutiful. He later returned to the Croisette with the immersive VR project Flesh and Sand (Carne y Arena), which earned a Special Achievement Oscar in 2018.

For Cruise, Digger marks his first film since signing a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery in January to develop and produce theatrical features. His last collaboration with the studio was Edge of Tomorrow a decade ago. The actor was most recently seen in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning and Top Gun: Maverick, further cementing anticipation for this bold new chapter.