Tom Cruise set to reach major career milestone with upcoming film Digger

Hollywood icon Tom Cruise is about to hit a milestone with his next movie, Digger, one that very few actors ever reach and he’s doing it in a way that feels quietly unexpected.

The next Tom Cruise film arrives in 2026 and brings with it a striking number: it will be the 50th movie of his career. That body of work stretches back more than four decades to the early 1980s, when Tom Cruise first appeared on screen in Endless Love and Taps.

Since then, Tom Cruise has barely slowed down. Almost every year has brought a new release, sometimes two, spanning action blockbusters, dramas, thrillers, comedies, and the occasional curveball role that proves his career was never built on explosions alone.

That’s what makes Digger such an intriguing choice for his 50th outing.

Tom Cruise is best known worldwide for Mission: Impossible and Top Gun, the films that cemented his reputation for high-risk stunts and relentless physical commitment. Yet Digger moves in a different direction altogether, landing in the space of dark comedy rather than spectacle.

Interestingly, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, released in 2025, nearly became his 50th film. That would have carried obvious symbolism, especially with talk of it serving as the franchise’s final chapter. Instead, Tom Cruise reaches the milestone a step later, choosing something smaller, stranger, and more understated.

There’s a pattern there. Throughout his career, Tom Cruise has mixed large-scale action with lighter genres, moving comfortably between intensity and humor. Digger appears to sit firmly on that quieter side, even as details about the story remain closely guarded.

The early teaser offers little clarity. There’s no clear sense of plot and barely a glimpse of Tom Cruise himself, a bold approach for a film led by one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. Still, it suggests confidence, something earned after 49 films and decades at the top of the industry.

Beyond acting, Digger also marks the 10th time Tom Cruise has taken on dual roles as both lead actor and producer, reinforcing how deeply involved he remains in shaping his projects from start to finish.

For now, Digger remains a mystery, and that may be the point. Rather than celebrating his 50th film by looking back, Tom Cruise is doing what he’s always done—pushing forward and leaving audiences guessing until the lights go down on October 2, 2026.