At the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, Tom Cruise showcased the initial footage of his upcoming dark comedy, Digger, portraying an eccentric oil tycoon. The 63-year-old actor revealed that it took him four decades of acting experience to fully embody the complex character of Digger Rockwell.
The preview highlighted Cruise’s transformation into Rockwell, an older man with thinning gray hair, a beer belly, a Southern drawl, and a peculiar affection for cats. In the film, Rockwell accidentally triggers an environmental catastrophe that pushes the world to the edge of nuclear conflict, prompting him to desperately attempt to avert global disaster.
“It took 40 years to be able to put on the boots of Digger Rockwell and play the many, many layers of this character,” Cruise expressed. “The movie is wild, it’s funny, and I can’t wait for you all to see it.” The Warner Bros production is scheduled for an October theatrical release.
Cruise shared the stage with director Alejandro González Iñárritu, a four-time Oscar winner known for films like Birdman and The Revenant. The two first discussed the project seven years ago while Cruise was filming Top Gun: Maverick. An admirer of Iñárritu’s work, Cruise reportedly rode his motorcycle to the director’s home for their meeting.
Iñárritu praised Cruise’s fearless approach, noting, “We know that he is fearless: the stunts, the planes, the jumps. But I have to say, I think this is another kind of fearless. This role possibly could be his most challenging,” describing it as “a high-wire act.”
Tom Cruise’s presentation kicked off a star-studded lineup of upcoming Warner Bros films. The studio, fresh off a year marked by commercial success and 11 Academy Awards, is currently in the process of being acquired by Paramount Skydance in a $110-billion deal.
Also featured were Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, and Jason Momoa promoting Dune: Part Three, the final installment of the sci-fi saga set to release in December. The story takes place 17 years after the events of the second film, with Zendaya commenting, “The years don’t seem to have been kind to anyone on Dune. It’s been a really difficult, challenging, ungentle and unkind few years, and I think there’s so much left still to fight for.”
