Digger Trailer: Tom Cruise Has To Save The World Again, But This Time, He's The Problem

You know, it's about time somebody finally canonized the subgenre involving Tom Cruise characters moving heaven and earth to save the world from some existential threat. Instead of another "Mission: Impossible" sequel or those harebrained plans to send the A-lister to space (yes, seriously), however, this one comes from one of our most distinctive (and divisive) filmmakers around. For years, we've only had the barest notion of what to expect from Cruise's return to his more auteur-driven roots, teaming him up with Alejandro G. Iñárritu for "Digger." Now, we're finally getting a better picture of exactly what the "Birdman" and "The Revenant" director has up his sleeve next.

Warner Bros. has released the first official trailer for "Digger" and, to put it lightly, the results have to be seen to be believed. Early word out of this year's CinemaCon event in Las Vegas described the exclusive footage screened there in almost hyperbolic terms ... but maybe they weren't so unbelievable after all. Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, a character unlike any we've seen from the legendary actor before. Not only is he a far cry from the suave, idealistic movie star we've come to know and love over the decades, but, according to the film's synopsis, this plot involves the following:

The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything.

Yeah, consider us intrigued. Knowing Iñárritu, this is going to be an unforgettable experience that demands to be seen on the big screen. If you haven't already, check out the new footage above!

Warner Bros. Pictures

Tom Cruise has frequently been tasked with saving the world on screen, but he's not typically solving a problem that he himself caused. Leave it to Iñárritu to cast him against type as a blowhard oligarch who makes crass jokes and seems convinced he can "dig" his way out of any situation, even a self-imposed one. The humor in this trailer is very odd: Some of it is extremely broad (Cruise cracking wise about the size of his manhood, or John Goodman's president appearing to be nearly dead and needing to be smacked back to consciousness), while other parts are bizarrely specific (what the heck is up with that cat's face?). Historically, Iñárritu has not been an especially funny filmmaker, so we're very curious to see if his sense of humor works better in context than it does in isolated moments.

This seems like Cruise's most overtly political movie in years: It appears to be partially about climate change, and how the gerontocracy tries to convince a gullible populace to buy into their sinister narratives. Iñárritu's clearly not interested in subtlety – we see a fighter jet drop a bomb that has "suck it, nature" written on the side directly onto an iceberg. That makes us think we could be in for something similar to "Don't Look Up," Adam McKay's divisive, bash-you-over-the-head political farce ... but there's also a chance this could end up closer to "Dr. Strangelove," a cathartic comedy that met its moment and consequently went down in history.

We'll find out when "Digger" arrives in theaters on October 2, 2026.