Alejandro G. Iñárritu is returning to cinemas with DIGGER, an original dark comedy that puts Tom Cruise at the centre of what sounds like a very expensive existential disaster. The film will open in cinemas and IMAX across the region on October 1, 2026, marking an intriguing collision between one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars and a filmmaker better known for psychologically bruising dramas.
Cruise plays a man described as the most powerful person in the world, who finds himself racing to convince humanity that he can save it from a catastrophe he apparently caused. Beyond that premise, plot details remain deliberately thin, but the setup suggests Iñárritu is leaning into satire, ego and institutional power rather than the straightforward action territory audiences usually associate with Cruise.
The supporting cast is substantial. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons all appear alongside Cruise, giving DIGGER an ensemble packed with actors comfortable moving between serious drama and uncomfortable comedy.
Iñárritu directs from a screenplay written with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman. Berman and Iñárritu also developed the story with Jez Butterworth. The project reunites the director with several collaborators from earlier films, most notably cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and editor Stephen Mirrione.
One of the more interesting technical choices is the decision to shoot DIGGER entirely in VistaVision. The large-format process has enjoyed renewed attention in contemporary filmmaking, and pairing it with an IMAX release should make the film’s visual presentation a significant part of the theatrical pitch. Production design comes from Dennis Gassner and Richard Johnson, while Kazu Hiro handles prosthetic makeup and Cosmo Sheldrake provides the score.
DIGGER also represents Iñárritu’s return to a major English-language feature following 2015’s The Revenant, although he subsequently directed the Spanish-language Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. His reunion with Cruise is especially notable because it gives the actor another opportunity to move beyond the stunt-heavy Mission: Impossible persona that has dominated much of his recent career.
Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing the Legendary Pictures production. With its apocalyptic premise, unusually heavyweight cast and the promise of Iñárritu tackling comedy on a blockbuster scale, DIGGER has plenty of intriguing pieces in place. The bigger question is just how strange Iñárritu and Cruise are prepared to make them.
