Film news: Tom Cruise is ‘Digger’ in first-look at Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s comedy

Film fans have had their first glimpse of Tom Cruise’s next major film project. 

Cruise is dropping the action fare for a quirky comedy from Oscar-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu.

Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence takes his first look at Digger.

What is ‘Digger’ about?

Details about Digger have been scarce so far, with filming of the previously unnamed project wrapping up earlier this year.

Cruise’s film will grace cinemas next year, on October 2, to be precise. 

The film follows Digger Rockwell (Cruise), as “the most powerful man in the world” who “embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he is humanity’s saviour before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.”

Beyond that, nothing is really known about the plot, but Iñárritu promised at Cannes earlier this year that "a brutal, wild comedy of catastrophic proportions" will unfold. 

Cruise is joined in the cast by Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg, Riz Ahmed and Emma D'Arcy.

What did we see in the ‘Digger’ teaser?

Very little was revealed in Thursday’s teaser trailer, beyond a title reveal, and Cruise, shovel in hand, dancing for the camera. 

Shot on 35mm VistaVision, Digger looks set to be a dramatic, quirky comedy, akin to Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning Birdman. 

Iñárritu has written the Digger screenplay with his Birdman collaborators, Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolas Giacobone, along with playwright Sabina Berman.

The film represents a shift of focus for Cruise, from action blockbusters to awards contenders, and when Iñárritu presented the actor with his honorary Oscar last month, the Mexican predicted this wouldn’t be the last Academy Award that his muse would receive.

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