Tom Cruise is stepping outside of the box for his next movie, Digger. It’s a necessary risk for Cruise’s career, which does not need another sequel right now.
For the first time since 2017, Cruise will star in an original movie, not a sequel from a legacy franchise. Digger is Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s upcoming black comedy. Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, “the most powerful man in the world who races to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything.”
If positively received by fans and critics, Digger, which comes out on October 2, 2026, could be an awards play for Cruise, who is still looking for his first acting Oscar.
Why Digger could mark a different chapter in Tom Cruise’s career
Digger is a hard left turn from the action movies that have dominated Cruise’s resume throughout the 21st century. Cruise’s last 11 movies have been in the action genre. 2012’s Rock of Ages is Cruise’s last non-action role.
Cruise’s last four movies have all been sequels: 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, and 2025’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
No one is saying that Cruise has to stop playing Ethan Hunt or Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Fallout and Maverick might even be the best movies in their respective franchises, and I’ll be there opening night for Top Gun 3. However, Cruise needs to take a break from the franchise plays and star in something completely different.
There are audience members who only know Cruise as an action star in sequels. Remember, this is an actor who headlined famous dramas and comedies in the 1980s and 1990s, including Risky Business, The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, and Magnolia. Cruise is a phenomenal actor who hasn’t shown his versatility in a long time. Digger should remind the world of Cruise’s acting prowess.
Cruise can’t be an action star forever. At 63, Digger might be the first step toward a career change, one where Cruise mixes in a drama or comedy between his action sequels.
