Tom Cruise‘s Digger is set to take an unconventional approach to the disaster genre. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the dark comedy will explore a catastrophe caused by humanity rather than a natural disaster. The director recently shared how the film will differ from typical apocalypse movies.
Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, the man at the center of the catastrophe. Speaking in an interview with Empire, Iñárritu discussed the film and said, “The disaster isn’t a comet or an earthquake, or an alien invasion. The disaster is us. Most disaster movies ask, ‘What if something terrible happened to humanity?’ Our question was much simpler: ‘What if humanity happened to humanity?'”
Speaking about the character of Digger Rockwell, Iñárritu added, “I knew exactly this guy. Reality gives us the events, but imagination lets us recognise ourselves in them.” The Mexican filmmaker further continued, “Literally, this film is about us. The film revolves around these three ancient forces, which are greed, power, and responsibility.”
What do we know about Digger so far?
The 128-minute film features Tom Cruise as the titular character, who is an oil tycoon. Rockwell accidentally causes a huge environmental disaster. The film then follows his attempts to take responsibility and save the world from destruction.
The synopsis of Digger reads, “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.”
In addition to directing the film, Iñárritu co-wrote the screenplay with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, and Nicolás Giacobone. Cruise and Iñárritu are also serving as producers with Mary Parent and Michael Sharp.
Alongside Cruise, the cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Digger is scheduled to release in theaters on Oct. 2, 2026.
Originally reported by Disita Sikdar on ComingSoon.net.
