Development In February 2024, it was announced that
Alejandro G. Iñárritu would be directing his first English-language film since
The Revenant (2015), which he co-wrote and produced.
Tom Cruise was cast in the lead role after attending a meeting with Iñárritu, following his strategic partnership with
Warner Bros. Pictures.
Legendary Pictures was announced to produce the film. In August,
Sandra Hüller,
John Goodman,
Michael Stuhlbarg,
Jesse Plemons and
Sophie Wilde would be added to the cast, with
Riz Ahmed in negotiations to also join. In early 2025,
Emma D'Arcy,
Robert John Burke and
Burn Gorman were revealed to have joined the cast.
Filming Principal photography began in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2024, taking place at
Pinewood Studios, with
Emmanuel Lubezki serving as the cinematographer and concluded in late April 2025. The film was shot on
35mm film using
VistaVision. Filming was halted for two days in March 2025 when Goodman endured a minor hip injury for which he was hospitalized. Production wrapped on May 3, 2025, after six months of filming under the
working title Judy. Later that month, Iñárritu confirmed in an interview that the film would be a comedy.
Post-production In December 2025, the title was officially revealed as
Digger alongside a one minute teaser. Also in December, journalist
Matt Belloni reported that the film had been greenlit with a $125 million production budget, as a part of the
Warner Bros. Pictures chiefs
Michael De Luca and
Pamela Abdy strategy of
auteur driven productions, following the critical successes of
Sinners and
One Battle After Another in 2025. ==Release==