Tom Cruise as a weird billionaire
At CinemaCon, Tom Cruise screened footage of Digger that shows him transformed into an almost unrecognizable, obese, cat‑loving billionaire in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s comedy. ( ). The sneak peek was one of Warner Bros.’ highlighted CinemaCon presentations on Tuesday. (editorial.rottentomatoes.com)
Tom Cruise used Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon presentation on Tuesday, April 14, to debut footage from “Digger,” with Cruise playing a nearly unrecognizable billionaire in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new comedy. (variety.com) The footage shown in Las Vegas gave Cruise a big belly, gray hair, a comb-over, a thick Southern accent and a white cat, according to reports from the room. Iñárritu joined Cruise onstage for the presentation. (deadline.com) The trailer was not released online, but multiple outlets said the character is a billionaire trying to clean up a disaster he helped create. The Hollywood Reporter described the footage as showing a man trying to fix “his own mess.” (hollywoodreporter.com) Warner Bros. has dated “Digger” for October 2, 2026, and the studio’s official site bills it as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” The film was one of the highlighted titles in Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon slate. (warnerbros.com (rottentomatoes.com)) The role stands out because Cruise has spent the last several years anchored to action franchises, especially “Mission: Impossible” and “Top Gun.” “Digger” puts him back in a studio comedy lane that audiences have seen only in shorter bursts, including “Tropic Thunder” in 2008. (usatoday.com (motionpictures.org)) The director’s side of the pairing is unusual too. Iñárritu won Academy Awards for directing “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” and Warner Bros. has positioned “Digger” as a broad, dark comedy rather than a survival drama or backstage satire. (motionpictures.org) (variety.com)) The cast around Cruise includes Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Wilde and Emma D’Arcy. Warner Bros. and Legendary are backing the film. (motionpictures.org) (deadline.com)) CinemaCon is a trade convention for theater owners and studio executives, so footage there is aimed first at exhibitors, not the public. That made Cruise’s transformed look part of Warner Bros.’ pitch for its fall 2026 lineup before ticket buyers have seen a full trailer. (apnews.com) (rottentomatoes.com)) For now, the clearest takeaway from Las Vegas is simple: Warner Bros. is selling “Digger” on the shock of seeing Tom Cruise disappear into a grotesque billionaire long before the movie reaches theaters on October 2. (variety.com) (warnerbros.com)
