Tom Cruise Officially Reveals His ‘Most Original Film’, Sidelining Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise has named Digger the most original film he has ever read, putting his upcoming Alejandro González Iñárritu collaboration in a different league from even his biggest blockbusters. During BAFTA’s “A Life in Pictures” conversation in London, Cruise looked back on his four-decade career before turning to the film he describes as unlike anything he has encountered (via Variety):

That is a hefty claim from the star of Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible, and Jerry Maguire. Cruise was not declaring Digger his greatest movie, but he was making a pointed distinction about its originality. The upcoming film also marks a sharp left turn from the familiar franchise machinery that has dominated his recent career.

What Is Digger About, and Why Is Tom Cruise Almost Unrecognizable?

Tom Cruise in a still from Digger | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

The film follows Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil tycoon who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he can save humanity before a disaster he helped unleash destroys everything. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the movie as an R-rated comedy-drama, with Cruise joined by Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, and Michael Stuhlbarg. The role required Cruise to leave his familiar action-hero image at the door. He underwent extensive makeup and prosthetic work to become Rockwell. The initial transformation reportedly took six hours, but Cruise worked with the makeup team to reduce the process to about an hour. 

The production also appears to have taken some big creative swings. At CinemaCon, Iñárritu said the idea had been developing for nine years before he approached Cruise. Cruise later described the project as the kind of movie that reminded him why he wanted to make films. That ambition has already produced sharply divided early reactions. Variety reported that film journalists have called Digger everything from “baffling” to “fascinating,” while others praised Cruise’s performance and the movie’s audacity. One early reaction called it Cruise’s “biggest swing” yet, while another praised the film as visually inventive and unpredictable.

How Does Digger Compare With Top Gun: Maverick?

Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise’s “most original” description becomes more striking when placed beside the enormous track record of Top Gun: Maverick. The 2022 sequel earned a 96% Tomatometer score from 476 critics and a 99% verified audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its commercial record was just as formidable. Top Gun: Maverick finished with $718.7 million domestically and $777 million internationally, giving it a worldwide total of nearly $1.496 billion. Its domestic opening reached $126.7 million (per Box Office Mojo).

Digger, meanwhile, has not made a dollar at the box office yet. Box Office Mojo lists October 2 as its domestic release date and currently records no domestic, international or worldwide grosses. So Cruise’s statement is not a box-office comparison. It is a creative one. Top Gun: Maverick became a phenomenon by refining a familiar franchise into a huge theatrical spectacle. Digger is taking the riskier route, asking Cruise to play an eccentric oil tycoon inside Iñárritu’s satirical world.

Cruise has also linked that creative gamble to his broader belief in theatrical filmmaking. Discussing AI at BAFTA, he said, “There is nothing like human,” before adding that audiences “want to see real things.” He urged filmmakers to “keep creating” rather than retreat from new technology. Whether Digger becomes another commercial heavyweight remains unanswered. But Cruise has already made one thing plain: after decades of playing characters audiences know by heart, he wanted to swing for something stranger.

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