Tom Cruise has dropped a teaser for his new film Digger, and it has left fans decidedly divided.
The trailer, released on 23 June, runs just over three minutes, but here is the twist: the first two and a half minutes contain no footage from the actual film at all.
Instead, audiences are treated to a sweeping montage of Cruise’s most iconic screen moments, Risky Business, A Few Good Men, Rain Man, Mission: Impossible, War of the Worlds and more, before a voiceover from Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning intones: “Everything you are, everything you’ve done… has come to this,” and the trailer finally transitions into a brief glimpse of the new movie.
So what is Digger actually about?
The film follows Rockwell, the world’s most powerful oil magnate, as he races to prove he is humanity’s saviour before an ecological disaster of his own making destroys everything.
Cruise is said to be virtually unrecognisable 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 Birdman 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 on X with a message to fans.
“For the last 46 years, it has been my privilege to work alongside countless talented artists and crews to create these characters, stories, and films for you all,” he wrote.
“I’m looking forward to seeing you at the movies! DIGGER. Only in theaters this October.”
The response has been mixed.
On Reddit, some viewers said they felt “duped” after assuming the retrospective footage announced theatrical re-releases of classic Cruise films, while others speculated it was the opening salvo of an Oscar campaign.
The unusual marketing choice prompted one person to simply write: “It was such a weird marketing choice!”
Others, however, were entirely won over.
“Tom Cruise is his own cinematic universe,” one X user commented.
“Such an insane filmography. One of the biggest film stars of all time,” wrote another.
Director J.J. Abrams also weighed in, having seen early footage of the film.
“My dear friend is no doubt about to blow our collective mind with Digger. What an undeniably spectacular career. What a bold and wild next step. Only seen a taste of the film… cannot wait for October to see the rest!” he wrote on X.
Digger opens exclusively in IMAX on 2 October 2026.
