Tom Cruise’s Digger Just Earned Remarkable Praise From Co-Star Sandra Hüller

If you ever thought Tom Cruise would just keep running up and down skyscrapers and sticking to action movie sequels forever, well, get ready for something a little different. Cruise is teaming up with Alejandro Iñárritu—the guy who made both 'Birdman' and 'The Revenant'—for a new movie that's already generating a ton of buzz, even though almost nobody can actually talk about it yet. Yeah, it's one of those deals.

Tom Cruise: New Trick, Old Dog?

Look, for the last decade or so, Tom Cruise has basically become the face of high-adrenaline blockbuster stunts. He’s hanging off planes, fighting Henry Cavill in bathroom brawls, and shouting about the greatness of the big screen whenever someone puts a mic in front of him. As fun as that’s been (and it really has), a lot of us still remember the guy who worked with Kubrick, Oliver Stone, or Paul Thomas Anderson—actors’ movies, not just action set-pieces.

So now Cruise is trying something a little gutsier than just blowing up more helicopters. His next stop: a new film written and directed by Iñárritu called 'Digger,' landing in October. If you had 'Tom Cruise doing experimental drama with the director of Bardo' on your 2024 bingo card… congratulations.

Sandra Hüller Can't Say Much (But Says Enough)

Here’s where it gets fun. Sandra Hüller, who’s having a year between her indie hits ('Rose') and soon sharing the screen with Ryan Gosling in the upcoming 'Project Hail Mary,' is also in 'Digger'—and she’s pumped. During a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Hüller admitted she’s dying to talk about this movie. She legally can’t say much, and apparently the NDA police are real, but her reaction is… well, let’s let her speak for herself:

"I am nearly bursting with wanting to talk about this movie. I can’t. I legally can’t. I can say that I saw a version [of it] that’s maybe not the final version, and that it impresses me beyond anything I’ve ever seen. And that’s all I can say. I think it’s going to be a remarkable film."

Translation? This isn’t just another Cruise vanity project, or another gloomy Iñárritu art film. Hüller’s seen enough to say it 'impresses [her] beyond anything [she’s] ever seen.' Which means we’re officially on 'hype watch' for October.

What We Know So Far

• Director and Vision: Alejandro Iñárritu’s last film (Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths) was a wild, nonlinear, visually trippy story about memory and identity. If you liked that—or even if you hated it but respect the ambition—expect 'Digger' to be just as big and weird, with the added spectacle of Tom Cruise.
• What’s It About?: Details are under wraps, but the footage shown at Cinema-Con hinted at Cruise playing 'the most powerful man in the world' scrambling to prove he’s humanity’s savior before a disaster he’s responsible for wipes out everything. So, high stakes, existential dread, big emotions—the usual Iñárritu cocktail, just with way more running.
• The Cast: It’s not just Cruise and Hüller. There’s also John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, and Michael Stuhlbarg. That’s an awards-ceremony-grade supporting cast right there.
• Release Plans: 'Digger' is being marketed as a premium experience—it’s coming to IMAX in October, and if the rumors are true, it’s tailored for the big screen in a way that should make Cruise’s inner theater evangelist happy.

Why This Might Actually Be Interesting

Normally, when you hear about another Tom Cruise 'event movie,' you expect running, shouting, and probably a new death-defying stunt that’ll haunt insurance agents for months. But Iñárritu brings a kind of 'hold my beer' energy to filmmaking—whether that’s a good or bad thing can depend on your patience for symbolic dream sequences and philosophical voice-overs. Add Cruise’s blockbuster instincts, and this could either be a midlife crisis on screen, or the most fascinating thing he’s done since 'Magnolia.'

The bottom line? Sandra Hüller’s excitement isn’t subtle. The cast is stacked. And after seeing an early version, Hüller publicly said it’s something remarkable. At the very least, 'Digger' should give us something worth debating this fall, instead of just arguing about the next Marvel cameo.