Tom Cruise looks almost unrecognisable in a new Digger poster, giving audiences another striking look at his transformation into billionaire oil baron Digger Rockwell. The image arrives as Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film moves closer to release, with the final trailer reported to premiere on September 9 before the movie reaches cinemas and IMAX in October.
With thinning grey-white hair, an older appearance and a noticeably different physique, Cruise is far removed from the action-star image audiences know from Mission: Impossible and Top Gun. His character also speaks with a distinct Southern accent, making Digger Rockwell one of the actor’s most unusual screen roles in years.
Digger Final Trailer Arrives September 9
According to the latest promotional update, the final Digger trailer is scheduled to arrive on September 9, 2026, one day after the new poster was revealed.
Earlier footage introduced Rockwell as an enormously powerful businessman facing the consequences of a crisis linked to his own empire. The final trailer is expected to reveal more of Cruise’s performance and the darkly comic tone Iñárritu is bringing to the story.
Tom Cruise Transforms Into Digger Rockwell
Cruise’s makeover goes well beyond a different hairstyle. Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup designer Kazu Hiro worked on the production, while Alessandro Bertolazzi leads makeup and hair design.
The transformation was already visible in an earlier look at Tom Cruise in Digger, which showed how deliberately the film was moving him away from the polished action heroes that have defined many of his recent movies.
Rockwell is a hugely powerful oil baron whose ambition places him at the centre of an ecological catastrophe with potentially global consequences. As his empire comes under pressure, he becomes convinced that he is also the man capable of saving humanity.
The official Digger movie website describes Rockwell as the world’s most powerful man racing to prove he can save humanity before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything.
Cruise Calls Digger a Major Acting Challenge
Cruise has described stepping into Rockwell’s shoes as a major creative challenge. He said the performance required him to draw on knowledge gathered across decades of filmmaking to match Iñárritu’s ambition for the character.
The role gives Cruise a chance to focus more heavily on character, physical transformation and dark comedy rather than the stunt-driven spectacle associated with many of his recent blockbusters.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu Teams Up With Cruise
Digger marks the first feature collaboration between Cruise and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, known for Birdman and The Revenant.
Iñárritu directed from a screenplay written with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman. Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki also reunites with the director as director of photography.
The movie was shot entirely in VistaVision and is being presented in IMAX, giving its large-scale story a premium theatrical presentation.
Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and More Join the Cast
Cruise leads an ensemble featuring Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons. Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman and Sophie Wilde also star.
The film is produced by Iñárritu, Mary Parent, Cruise and Michael Sharp. The wider creative team includes editors Conor O’Neill and Stephen Mirrione, costume designer Jacqueline West, casting director Francine Maisler, production designers Dennis Gassner and Richard Johnson, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake.
Digger Enters the Early Awards Conversation
Cruise’s change of pace has also brought the performance into early awards-season discussion. He currently features prominently in early 2027 Oscars predictions for Digger, although those forecasts remain preliminary and are not official Academy nominations.
The awards talk adds another layer of attention to a film already standing out for Cruise’s altered appearance, Iñárritu’s direction and an acclaimed supporting cast.
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Digger India Release Date and IMAX Details
Digger is scheduled to arrive in cinemas and IMAX across India on October 2, 2026, with Warner Bros. Pictures handling distribution.
The wider international rollout begins on September 30, followed by the North American release on October 2. For Indian audiences, the reported September 9 final trailer will offer another look at Cruise’s transformation a little over three weeks before the film reaches the big screen.
The combination of Cruise’s dramatic makeover, Iñárritu’s dark-comedy approach, a major ensemble cast and premium-format photography gives Digger a very different identity from the actor’s familiar franchise blockbusters.
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