‘This movie is crazy’ Tom Cruise is unrecognizable in first images from Digger

The star and his director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, presented this satirical comedy at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Digger will be released in theaters in a few months, and we still don’t know what Tom Cruise will look like in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new event film. We were treated to a first image, two posters and even a teaser, but the star’s appearance is carefully hidden.

CinemaCon attendees in Las Vegas got the answer this week. And according to the trailer, which will be put online later by Warner Bros., Tom Cruise will be unrecognizable in this satirical comedy with an intriguing pitch:

Digger Rockwell, supposedly the most powerful man in the world, embarks on a mission to prove that he is indeed the savior of humanity. But his quest will cause many disasters.

According to the Hollywood ReporterCruise will be closer to Les Grossman, his cult character from Thunder in the tropicsthan Ethan Hunt or Maverick. He is depicted with gray hair, wrinkles and a large belly as he struts around his mansion and nurses his sick cat. We quickly understand that he is a billionaire at the head of a large company at the origin of an ecological disaster causing the displacement of millions of people.

John Goodman, playing the President, orders Digger to fix the problem. The latter literally grabs a shovel and declares: “We can’t control the course of nature, but we can at least control the narrative“.

On stage at CinemaCon, Iñárritu commented on his transformation: “Seeing Tom Cruise become Digger Rockwell, I wasn’t prepared for that. You don’t have to be afraid of anything to play this character… this role is perhaps your biggest challenge, it’s a balancing act.”

Faithful to his image as a defender of theatrical cinema, Tom Cruise, for his part, flattered the exhibitors who came to attend the event, welcoming the good box office figures in 2026, before raising the stakes for Digger : “It’s for this type of film that I wanted to make films. This movie is crazy, it’s funny and I can’t wait for you to see it.”

Digger will be released in France on September 30, and it brings together an impressive cast around Tom Cruise with also Sandra Huller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Wilde and Emma D’Arcy.