Tom Cruise has an unfamiliar role in Alejandro Iñárritu’s movie “Digger”: He plays a visibly aging man. First footage showed at CinemaCon.
LAS VEGAS – Tom Cruise described “Digger” as the kind of film that’s “why I wanted to make movies” before unveiling first footage from his upcoming dark comedy at CinemaCon.
The clip, shared April 14 during the Warner Bros. panel at the convention for theater owners and studios, showed Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an older oil executive with gray hair, a large stomach and Southern accent. His company appears to have an energy field in distress that has major impact around the world. John Goodman plays the president of the United States.
“It took me 40 years to be able to put on the boots of Digger Rockwell and (play) the many layers,” Cruise said.
Alejandro Iñárritu, the film’s director and co-writer, said that he came up with the idea for the film nine years ago and approached Cruise about it seven years ago.
“We know he’s fearless,” Iñárritu said of Cruise. “The stunts, the plane, the jumps. But I have to say, embodying this character is another kind of fearless. I think this role may be his most challenging.”
The director said the film, expected for release Oct. 2, was made “only to be seen in theaters.” “Audiences want things that are original and engaging,” Cruise added.
Earlier in the event, Warner Bros. announced a new indie studio: Warner Bros. Clockwork.
“We need to all be making more high-quality films, not less,” Warner Bros. co-CEO Michael DeLuca said.
