Digger trailer: Tom Cruise is unrecognisable in Alejandro G. Iñárritus wild new satire

Warner Bros. has released the first full trailer for Digger, offering audiences their best look yet at Tom Cruise’s dramatic transformation in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s first feature since Bardo. Scheduled to arrive in cinemas this October, the film sees Cruise step away from action franchises for one of the most unconventional roles of his career.

Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil baron whose business empire is linked to an environmental disaster with potentially catastrophic consequences. As the crisis spirals towards global conflict, Rockwell embarks on a desperate mission to convince the world that he is its only hope for survival.

The trailer reveals Cruise beneath extensive prosthetics, sporting greying hair, a heavier physique and a Southern accent, making the actor nearly unrecognisable. It marks his most physically transformative performance since his memorable turn as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder.

The film also features an ensemble cast including John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg and Sophie Wilde.

Speaking during the trailer launch at the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles, Cruise described the project as unlike anything he or Iñárritu had attempted before: “I have never had something that could challenge me in this way and neither had Alejandro when we went in, ever. When you see this film, it’s totally original.”

Cruise also recalled becoming an admirer of Iñárritu after watching Amores Perros, calling the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s debut “a brilliant film” and praising its performances, visual design and distinctive storytelling.

According to Cruise, Iñárritu spent several days reading the screenplay aloud to him before production began, allowing the actor to fully understand the director’s vision. In a video message played during the event, Iñárritu revealed that the idea for Digger first emerged after completing The Revenant.

Shot using VistaVision, the large-format analogue process that has recently returned to prominence since The Brutalist and One Battle After Another, Digger is expected to play a central role in Warner Bros.’ awards campaign later this year. For Cruise, whose recent decade has largely been defined by Top Gun and the Mission: Impossible franchise, the film represents a return to character-driven drama and one of the boldest performances of his four-decade career.