“Watching Tom Cruise becoming Digger Rockwell, I was not prepared for that,” director Alejandro G. Iñárritu said at the convention
Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Tom Cruise underwent a “fearless” transformation for new comedy Digger, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu said at CinemaCon 2026
- A sneak peek at the movie showed Cruise’s character, Digger Rockwell, with white hair and wrinkled skin
- Digger arrives in theaters on Oct. 2
Tom Cruise looks a little different in his latest role.
In a new look at Alejandro G. Iñárritu's upcoming comedy Digger, which Warner Bros. unveiled during a presentation at CinemaCon 2026 on Tuesday, April 14, attendees got the first real glimpse at titular character, Digger Rockwell — and the “fearless” transformation Cruise underwent to play him.
At the Las Vegas convention, both Cruise, 63, and the Birdman director, 62, were present to share the teaser, which showed an older Cruise with white, thinning hair and wrinkles, thanks to some prosthetics, old-age makeup and a hairpiece.
“Watching Tom Cruise becoming Digger Rockwell, I was not prepared for that,” Iñárritu, whose CinemaCon arrival with the star was met with a massive round of applause, told the crowd.
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty
The sneak peek also gave a glimpse into the world and psyche of Digger, who is grumpy toward everyone except his elderly pet cat. The teaser also reveals that the titular character has a huge company, which endangers millions with a drilling operation that goes too far.
Iñárritu said that going into the feature — which has been in the works for nine years, with Cruise in talks for seven — he knew the Mission: Impossible star was fearless from his stuntwork. But the director said of Digger, “embodying this character, this is another kind of fearless… this role could be his most challenging, high-wire act.”
Cruise, meanwhile, said that the upcoming comedy from The Revenant director "is wild, it's funny, and I can't wait for you all to see it."
The Jerry Maguire star shared even more enthusiasm for the film on Instagram after the Las Vegas film convention.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Alongside snaps from the event, Cruise wrote, “I had a lot of fun at CinemaCon seeing so many friends. The year has already gotten off to a great start for cinema, and I'm looking forward to all the films still to come in the year ahead from countless hardworking and talented artists!”
“Today, my dear friend Alejandro G. Iñárritu and I had a blast sharing our sneak peek of DIGGER,” the actor continued. “We cannot wait to share this film with the world in October and to be part of what is going to be such a special year at the movies!”
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John Goodman also appears in the Digger CinemaCon preview as the president of the United States.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Goodman's politician, who seemingly uses an oxygen tube in several scenes, tells Digger to fix the impending environmental disaster his company has caused, and so he sets out to do just that — literally, with a shovel in hand.
PEOPLE first confirmed that Cruise was working on a project with Iñárritu back in February 2024. Over a year later, the filmmaker teased their movie — then tentatively titled Judy — to The Hollywood Reporter as "a brutal, wild comedy of catastrophic proportions."
Digger arrives in theaters on Oct. 2.
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