One of the more intriguing mysteries of the 2026 movie season has got to be Tom Cruise’s role in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger.” What do they have in store for us? The teaser gad a shadowy figure — Cruise — pulling out the moves while holding a shovel and sporting what appeared to be a prosthetic nose.
Some intel concerning this mysterious film: Cruise will apparently be wearing heavy prosthetics in “Digger.” His Digger Rockwell is being described as a “Les Grossman-like character.” In other words, we won’t be getting “movie star Tom Cruise.” This is going to be a leap into outrageous territory.
Cruise’s portrayal of Grossman in 2008’s “Tropic Thunder” was a wildly unexpected and hilariously unhinged performance that stole nearly every scene he was in. As a grotesque caricature of a Hollywood studio boss, Grossman was foul-mouthed, egomaniacal, and unapologetically brash— it was perfection.
Back to “Digger,” it appears the film will bear similar stylistic traits to “Birdman,” which probably means long, fluid tracking shots and a surreal, theatrical tone—perfect territory for Cruise to completely reinvent his screen persona.
Iñárritu recently stated that Cruise will “surprise the world” with his performance in “Digger,” which has the actor playing a “powerful global figure.” Co-star Michael Stuhlbarg said the film is “the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of.”
“Digger” hits theaters October 2, 2026 via Warner Bros Pictures. It’ll most likely premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.