Tom Cruise Welcomes William and Kate at ‘Digger’ Premiere

Tom Cruise turned the London world premiere of Digger into a royal red-carpet event on Tuesday, welcoming Prince William and Princess Catherine of Wales to Leicester Square alongside the film’s director, Alejandro González Iñárritu.

The premiere doubled as this year’s Royal Film Performance, an event held in support of the Film and TV Charity. The organization assists people working behind the scenes across the United Kingdom’s screen industries, giving the star-heavy evening a fundraising purpose beyond the film’s launch.

A royal audience for Cruise’s transformation

William and Catherine met Cruise, Iñárritu and members of the ensemble before the screening. Cast members at the event included Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons. Cruise later thanked the royal couple for supporting the arts and recognized the charity connected to the performance.

The Leicester Square setup leaned into the world of the movie, with displays tied to Cruise’s character and locations from the story. The event arrived after weeks of curiosity about the actor’s physical transformation for the role, which required extensive prosthetic makeup.

‘Digger’ prepares for its theatrical release

Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon who presents himself as a potential savior while racing to contain a disaster he helped create. The satirical black comedy marks his first feature collaboration with Iñárritu, the filmmaker behind Birdman and The Revenant.

Inside the premiere, Cruise praised Iñárritu’s imagination and described working with him as a long-held ambition. The director, in turn, highlighted the actor’s energy and precision during production, framing the performance as a departure from the action roles most closely associated with Cruise.

Warner Bros. and Legendary are positioning the film as a major global theatrical release. It begins opening internationally on September 30, followed by IMAX and North American screenings on October 2.

The London launch placed that rollout in a distinctly ceremonial setting: a movie premiere, a charity benefit and a royal appearance sharing the same stage. For Cruise, it also shifted the conversation from the mechanics of his transformation to the film itself and the ensemble surrounding him.