Tom Cruise to Play ‘Most Powerful Man in the World’ in 2026 Film ‘Digger’

Los Angeles: Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise will headline filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next film, titled “Digger,” which is slated for theatrical release on October 2, 2026. In the film, Cruise will portray what is described as “the most powerful man in the world.”

Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment recently unveiled the film’s first poster and teaser, accompanied by the tagline “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” Cruise shared the poster on Instagram, writing: “Introducing… DIGGER. A comedy of catastrophic proportions from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Only in theaters October 2026.”

Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell. While plot details remain largely under wraps, Warner Bros. released a brief logline stating that the character is “the most powerful man in the world” who “embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything,” according to Variety.

The ensemble cast includes Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed, and Emma D’Arcy. Digger marks Cruise’s first project since signing a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery in January to develop and produce theatrical films. His last collaboration with the studio was Edge of Tomorrow nearly a decade ago.

Shot over six months in the UK, Digger is Iñárritu’s first English-language feature since The Revenant. The film is produced and directed by Iñárritu, with a screenplay co-written in 2023 alongside Birdman collaborators Nicolás Giacobone and Alexander Dinelaris, as well as Sabina Berman. Both Cruise and Iñárritu are producers on the project.

The October release date has fueled speculation that Digger could premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Iñárritu has previously showcased several acclaimed works, including Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Birdman, and 21 Grams. The filmmaker also shares a long-standing association with the Cannes Film Festival, having presented films such as Amores Perros, Babel, and Biutiful there.

In 2018, Iñárritu earned a special achievement Oscar for his virtual-reality short Flesh and Sand (Carne y Arena), further cementing his reputation as one of contemporary cinema’s most influential directors.

With inputs from IANS