Hollywood star Tom Cruise is set to play Digger Rockwell, a larger-than-life oil baron whose corporate recklessness triggers an ecological catastrophe with the potential to spark a nuclear war, in the upcoming dark comedy 'Digger'. The film's trailer was unveiled on Monday, 13 July, offering the first look at what promises to be one of the most ambitious Hollywood productions of 2026.

The Story and Scale

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu, 'Digger' is described as a comedy of catastrophic proportions. At its centre is Cruise's Digger Rockwell, a man whose company sets off a chain of disasters that threaten to spiral out of control. In a bid to outrun accountability — and perhaps redeem himself — Rockwell launches a frantic, solo crusade to convince the world that only he can avert the very apocalypse he has engineered.

The screenplay was co-written by Inarritu alongside Oscar winners Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolas Giacobone, and playwright Sabina Berman, from a story by Inarritu and Berman. The writing ensemble alone signals the film's literary ambitions.

An Ensemble Cast

Joining Cruise in the cast are Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Oscar nominee Sandra Huller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman, and Sophie Wilde. The breadth of the ensemble reflects the film's multi-threaded narrative scope.

The Creative Team Behind the Camera

Inarritu has assembled many of his long-time collaborators for the project. Director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki — who shot Inarritu's 'Birdman' and 'The Revenant' — returns to lens the film, which was shot entirely in VistaVision, the large-format process that dates to Hollywood's golden era and is increasingly favoured for prestige productions. Editors Conor O'Neill and Stephen Mirrione, costume designer Jacqueline West, Oscar-winning makeup and hair designer Alessandro Bertolazzi, Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner, Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup designer Kazu Hiro, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake round out the below-the-line team. Oscar-nominated casting director Francine Maisler and production designer Richard Johnson are also on board.

The film is produced by Inarritu, Oscar nominee Mary Parent, Tom Cruise, and Michael Sharp, with executive producers including Joshua Grode, Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Jez Butterworth, and Emmanuel Lubezki.

India Release and Distribution

'Digger' will be distributed globally by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to arrive in cinemas and IMAX across India on 2 October 2026. The IMAX release underscores the visual scale Inarritu and Lubezki have reportedly achieved through the VistaVision format. With Cruise's proven track record at the Indian box office and an awards-pedigree director at the helm, the film is positioned as one of the season's marquee releases.