Tom Cruise movies are tentpole events by the very nature of having Tom Cruise in them. But in his latest movie, Digger, he’s pushing the limits of what a “Tom Cruise movie” even means. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, of Birdman and The Revenant, Digger is about an oil tycoon who accidentally triggers a massive tsunami and tries to save the world from his own mistake.
But is that all? Details remain mysterious, but there’s a fan theory that this movie isn’t everything you expect it to be — and the latest trailer provides more evidence. Check it out below:
We see shots of Cruise as the title tycoon, John Goodman as the President of the United States, and Riz Ahmed as a climate scientist, but the tone is surprisingly light. Digger clearly isn’t a super-serious drama, as there are elements of black comedy throughout.
Maybe Digger is just a straight-up satire, but its over-the-top elements have produced an interesting fan theory: what if part of the movie (or maybe even all of it) isn’t depicting Digger Rockwell himself, but a stage play based on the life of the historical figure? This theory emerged with our first looks at the movie, but there’s some supporting evidence in this new trailer.
One featured scene shows Digger in the center of a vast gallery, making his case to the dozens of people looming over him. The room feels almost artificial, with a painted-on sky and a monochromatic color scheme. But the clincher comes in the trailer’s final seconds, when we see a split-second shot of Digger in this same room, rotating on a revolving stage built into the floor. Why would what looks to be a courtroom have a turntable built into it unless it was a gimmick for a stage show?
Could this scene actually be part of a stage play?
Warner Bros.
Turntables like that one have become a trend in recent Broadway musicals like Hadestown and Hamilton, leading some fans to believe that this isn’t just a stage show, but a full-on musical. This theory, aptly dubbed the “Cruisical theory,” is a bit more outlandish, but still believable — after all, Cruise did star in the musical Rock of Ages.
But why would this lofty story include such a high-concept twist? The answer may be hiding in plain sight. If this is the story of a man trying to save the world, a stage play adds a layer by depicting how the future chose to view him. It’s like if another movie about J. Robert Oppenheimer opened with the premiere of Oppenheimer before depicting the life of the man itself.
Maybe this theory is completely off base. Earlier this year, a theory claimed that the dinosaur movie The End of Oak Street was secretly a Cloverfield movie, which was proven wrong when the movie hit theaters. But on the off-chance this is true, Digger may have gone from just “the next Tom Cruise movie” to one of the most interesting movies of his career.
