“Digger,” an original dark comedy directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise is set to hit theaters in October 2026, and—unsurprisingly—the budget is on the high side for an auteur-driven project.
Warner Bros. is telling Puck’s Matt Belloni that “Digger” cost $125M, but Belloni is “already suspicious,” saying he’s heard the final price tag may be higher. He compares it to Warner Bros.’ “One Battle After Another” for 2026—a film that will need strong reviews and Oscar attention to fully justify its existence.
Belloni goes on to add that the film will feature Cruise in prosthetics, though plot details remain under wraps regarding the nature of the story being told.
It’s déjà vu all over again for studio chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, who once more have an expensive, director-driven slate lined up for next year. They continue to greenlight big-budget original films from auteur filmmakers, a strategy that surely has David Zaslav biting his nails as the Netflix acquisition remains in limbo amid Paramount’s aggressive push and a Trump DOJ that could complicate the approval process.
Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride” ($100M)
Iñárritu’s “Digger” ($125M+)
Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” ($90M+)
Mitchell’s “Flowervale Street” ($80M+)
Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” ($120M+)
Shyamalan’s “Remain” ($50M+)
Of all these projects, the biggest gamble may be the Iñárritu/Cruise collaboration. The film has been described as “a new kind of film,” with Iñárritu saying Cruise “will surprise the world” with his performance—sparking speculation that it could represent the actor’s best shot yet at winning his first competitive Oscar.
Iñárritu’s previous film, the Netflix-produced “Bardo,” struggled with critics and earned just one Oscar nomination, for cinematography. Before that, however, he directed “The Revenant,” which won Oscars for both directing and acting (Leonardo DiCaprio) and grossed $532M worldwide.
“Digger” opens in theaters on October 2, 2026, via Warner Bros. Pictures, and is expected to premiere at either Cannes or Venice.