Tom Cruise's New Movie Digger Debunks Secret Genre Theory

Published Sep 12, 2026, 1:13 PM EDT Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. The secret genre theory for Digger has been debunked. Ahead of the October 2 theatrical release, a theory of Tom Cruise's Digger secretly being a musical has circulated and picked up steam on social media. This came from viewers pointing out how, in the final trailer, the action star appears to be on a rotating platform, which is frequently used for stage productions, and with background actors having their mouths open in a way that looks as though they are singing. Now, two sources close to the production have shared with Variety that Digger is not a movie musical, and were reportedly amused by the theory that it secretly is one. While this seemingly puts an end to the theory, marketing concealing or underplaying that a movie is a musical is not uncommon. Two examples in recent years are Timothée Chalamet and Paul King's Wonka and 2024's Mean Girls movie, with the marketing shying away from showcasing their respective musical numbers. In Wonka's case, the approach paid off at the box office, as it grossed $634.5 million worldwide against a $125 million budget. Given how different Digger is from Tom Cruise's previous movies, a secret musical also didn't seem to be too farfetched. Rather than an action movie where he does his own outrageous stunts or a tense drama, it is a satirical dark comedy. Between the makeup and prosthetics he is wearing, the actor is also practically unrecognizable with thinning gray hair and a protruding gut, all while he dances with a shovel, bathes his cat in the sink, and makes sweeping declarations. This would not have been Cruise's first movie musical, as he did play rock star Stacee Jaxx in 2012's Rock of Ages. That was a supporting role and not a leading one, though, while he is very much the protagonist of Digger, and theoretically, he would have had the most singing in a secret musical. Regardless, Digger already has plenty of buzz without a genre twist. It is featured in early Academy Award Best Picture predictions, along with Cruise being predicted to receive a Best Actor nomination. Along with the excitement of how different his appearance and performance will be, there is anticipation of it being directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who previously helmed the Oscar-winning Birdman, The Revenant, and Babel. This is the first time that Cruise and Iñárritu have collaborated on a project together. The story features Cruise playing oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose drilling triggers a global disaster. He faces pressure from President Compson (John Goodman) and must deal with a scientist named Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), and his sister, Emma Rockwell (Sandra Hüller) as well. The Digger cast also features Jesse Plemons, Emma D'Arcy, Michael Stuhlbarg, Burn Gorman, Robert John Burke, Sophie Wilde, Pip Torrens, Mercedes Hernández, and Danny Kirrane. Digger releases in theaters on October 2. Release Date October 2, 2026 Runtime 128 minutes Director Alejandro González Iñárritu Writers Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent, Michael Sharp, Tom Cruise