Tom Cruise Reveals 'Digger' Pushed Him Like No Film Before, As First Full Trailer Drops Worldwide

The first full trailer for Tom Cruise's new comedy-drama Digger has been released worldwide, giving audiences their first full look at the star in his most physically transformed role in almost 20 years, following a Warner Bros launch event in Los Angeles where he spoke to fans and press.

At the showcase, the 62-year-old actor said the Alejandro González Iñárritu project had pushed him in ways he had never experienced, with the film due for worldwide release in early October.

The footage follows months of industry speculation about how the long-time action lead would tackle Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil baron at the centre of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

The film follows the billionaire as he scrambles to prove himself humanity's saviour after apparently triggering a huge ecological disaster. The studio has kept tight control over the visuals until now, but the trailer points to a clear shift from the polished heroes the actor typically plays.

A Radical Physical Shift For The Star Of Digger

In the new material, viewers see a protagonist with a grey combover, a noticeable pot belly and a thick southern accent.

It is the least recognisable on-screen appearance for the actor since he wore heavy prosthetics for the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder. The look strips away decades of cinematic grooming to present a flawed, desperate mogul.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor told the Los Angeles audience that the production had tested him deeply.

'I have never had something that could challenge me in this way and neither had Alejandro when we went in, ever,' he said. He told attendees the finished film would feel fresh, adding: 'When you see this film, it's totally original.'

The cast features a number of established performers, including John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sophie Wilde, who all appear in the world built around the central character.

The Decades Long Journey To Bring Digger To Life

The collaboration between the leading man and the Mexican filmmaker has been years in the making. At the launch event, the actor said his admiration for the director began after seeing the 2000 drama Amores Perros.

Variety reported his reaction, quoting him as saying: 'What a brilliant film. It was amazing.' He recalled his response to the crowd: 'When I saw that film, I don't know how you all felt, but I was like, "What the fuck? This guy!"'

He went on: 'The performances. The design. The colour in the movie. Every aspect of that film was very thought out, very detailed, and you could feel the powerful human voice of someone who was incredibly skilled at what they were doing.' Around seven years ago, the director formally pitched Digger to him.

Over several days, Iñárritu read the entire script aloud. 'I'm listening to everything that's in his mind, so that I can understand that, and then I know how to contribute to it, and bring that collaboration together. It was beautiful,' Cruise said.

Speaking about taking on the project, he added: 'There's nothing better than to physically and metaphorically stand on the edge of a cliff and go, "Let's do this. And I trust you, and whatever we're going to do, I know this is going to be a hell of an experience."'

Digger Embraces Classic Cinematic Techniques

The origins of the narrative stretch back to 2015. In a video message played at the event, Iñárritu described how the concept first emerged as he completed The Revenant. 'It was just after The Revenant when I had an idea,' he said.

He explained that it began as a persistent notion rather than a traditional script. 'Not a script, not a film, just a relentless, recurring obsession that has endured through all these wild years. I knew who this character was,' he said.

The production was shot on VistaVision, a high-definition analogue film process introduced in the 1950s. The format has returned to favour in recent years, appearing in titles such as The Brutalist and One Battle After Another.

Within that visual approach sits a story the director describes as both absurd and highly dangerous.

He said he had a clear picture of how the character spoke, survived and shaped his own version of events. 'But it took me 10 years to do this film, because I wasn't looking for a story. I was looking for the right way of saying it,' he noted.

Reflecting on the tone, he said the project is certainly comedic, 'because the source of great comedy is tragedy.'