Before now, what was the Tom Cruise role that was the least like anything he’d ever played before? Tropic Thunder, I suppose? Or his unforgettable performance as Frank TJ Mackey in PT Anderson’s Magnolia? Whatever the case, Cruise’s upcoming performance in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Digger has been the talk of the town all year for how wildly out of step it is for him. While the film has been teased for months, very little has been shown of it until now, with the debut of the official trailer.
Grayer, older, and less chiseled than he’s ever been, Cruise takes on the role of a southern oil tycoon and the most powerful man in the world. It’s his greed that threatens an environmental disaster of epic proportions, so he’s charged by the President (played by John Goodman) with fixing the mistake and saving the world.
Cruise has spent years locked in franchise mode, but he finally seems ready to put the Mission: Impossible stuff behind him for good. Digger looks about as far away from that as possible.
Digger also marks a bit of a shift for Inarritu, whose last film, 2022’s Bardo, was among his most polarizing. He has reunited with some of the same team from his acclaimed film, Birdman, including co-writers Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Nicolás Giacobone, along with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki.
Joining Cruise in the cast are Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, and Burn Gorman. Rumors are that some roles are being kept a secret, too.
Digger hits theaters and IMAX on October 2nd.
