Tom Cruise has released a preview of his new movie Digger, and has left fans decidedly divided.
The trailer, released on June 23, is just over three minutes long, but here’s the twist: the first two and a half minutes don’t contain any actual film footage.
Instead, audiences are treated to an extensive montage of Cruise’s most iconic cinematic moments, Risky business, some good men, rain man, Mission: Impossible, war of the worlds and more, before a voiceover of Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning intones, “Everything you are, everything you’ve done… has come to this,” and the trailer finally cuts to a brief glimpse of the new film.
So what is it? Digger Is it really about it?
The film follows Rockwell, the world’s most powerful oil tycoon, as he races to prove himself the savior of humanity before an ecological disaster of his own making destroys everything.
Cruise is said to be virtually unrecognizable in the role, sporting a Southern accent and thinning white hair. The film’s own tagline describes it as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions.”
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind bird man and The Revenant, and written by Iñárritu alongside Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman, the film also stars Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.
Cruise shared the teaser for X with a message for fans.
“Over the past 46 years, it has been a privilege to work alongside countless talented artists and teams to create these characters, stories and films for all of you,” he wrote.
“I can’t wait to see you in the movies! DIGGER. Only in theaters this October.”
The response has been mixed.
On Reddit, some viewers said they felt “duped” after assuming the flashback footage was advertising theatrical re-releases of classic Cruise films, while others speculated it was the opening salvo of an Oscar campaign.
The unusual marketing choice led one person to write simply: “That was such a strange marketing choice!”
Others, however, were totally convinced.
“Tom Cruise is his own cinematic universe,” commented one X user.
“What a crazy filmography. One of the biggest movie stars of all time,” wrote another.
Director JJ Abrams also weighed in, having seen the first images of the film.
“Without a doubt, my dear friend is about to blow us away with Digger. What a spectacular race for sure. What a bold and wild next step. I’ve only seen a preview of the film… I can’t wait for October to see the rest!” wrote in X.
Digger premieres exclusively in IMAX on October 2, 2026.
