# Tom Cruise plays an oil tycoon in Iñárritu's satire Digger, out in India soon

Published 2026-10-01T11:27:37Z

> Alejandro G. Iñárritu's satire Digger casts Tom Cruise as oil billionaire Digger Rockwell and frames the story as a stage play, with a release in Indian cinemas and IMAX reportedly set for October 2, 2026.

Tom Cruise sets aside his action hero image in Digger, a satire directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Cruise plays the title role of Digger Rockwell. He also plays a second part, an actor who performs Digger on stage, because the film tells its story inside a theatrical play.

The project has reportedly been nearly ten years in the making. Iñárritu began writing it with Mexican writer Sabina Berman in 2017. He has said that real events kept moving faster than their fictional version, which forced the script to change again and again. According to reports, the breakthrough came on a family hike during his 60th birthday celebrations, when he decided to tell the story as a play in a Brechtian style. He called the idea the best birthday present he ever got.

Early reviews describe Rockwell as a third-generation oil tycoon who stays cheerful even as drilling in Alaska sends an iceberg drifting towards Europe and methane fires burst through the ice. He is forced to face the disaster only when the US President and White House officials arrive. Reviews call the film a sharp satire on greed and also a love letter to art.

Critics have singled out Cruise's commitment to the part. He reportedly gives up his famous looks for a prosthetic potbelly, and reviews say the role turns his star image on its head after 30 years of daring stunts. Jesse Plemons, who plays the mysterious Kenny, has also been praised for a powerful monologue.

The cast includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Plemons, along with Robert John Burke, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman and Sophie Wilde. Emmanuel Lubezki handles the camera, and the film was reportedly shot entirely in VistaVision. Cruise is also one of the producers, alongside Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Michael Sharp.

Digger is reportedly set to open in cinemas and IMAX screens across India on October 2, 2026, with Warner Bros. Pictures distributing.

## Related titles
- [Digger](https://clapnumber.com/movies/digger)

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Retrieved: 2026-10-01