It’s way too early to be talking about awards season, but it’s pretty clear that “Digger,” the latest movie from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, is expected to be part of the conversation. Hailing from Warner Bros., it stars Tom Cruise fresh off an honorary Oscar win that came with a speech offering hope for Hollywood. Unfortunately for one major international comedian, it’s a big movie he narrowly missed out on being a part of.
In a since-deleted post on Twitter (via The Times of India), comedian Vir Das, who viewers may recognize from the talent-stuffed comedy “The Bubble,” revealed that he auditioned to be part of “Digger.” Here’s what he had to say about it:
“Gave two auditions for this. They went with Riz Ahmed. Was severely crestfallen, but that’s life. This script is insanity, in such a good way.”
Riz Ahmed, who is also an Oscar winner for his short film “The Long Goodbye,” ended up nabbing the role alongside Cruise in what could be a favorite in several major categories come time for the Academy Awards. The movie centers on the most powerful man in the world (Cruise) as he embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
Das is an Indian actor, comedian, and musician who has done plenty of work in the business before, but isn’t quite as well known as Ahmed in North America. Whether or not that had anything to do with the final decision is unknown, but Das didn’t seem bitter about it. Understandably bummed, but in no way crusty with Ahmed or Iñárritu.
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Digger features a star-studded, A-list cast with major awards season potential
Warner Bros.
It’s not hard to see why any working actor would be bummed about missing out on a movie like “Digger.” Aside from getting to work with a legend like Tom Cruise, Alejandro G. Iñárritu has a reputation with getting the most out of actors. Iñárritu pushed the crew on “The Revenant” a little too far, but it ultimately netted Leonardo DiCaprio that Best Actor Oscar he’d been chasing for a long time. Similarly, Michael Keaton’s work in “Birdman” completely revived his career. Landing a role in a movie like this could go a long way for a guy like Vir Das.
Not for nothing, but the cast that was ultimately assembled is nothing shy of incredible. It includes the likes of John Goodman (“10 Cloverfield Lane”), Sandra Hüller (“Project Hail Mary”), Michael Stuhlbarg (“The Shape of Water”), Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”), Robert John Burke (“The Last of Us”), Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”), Burn Gorman (“Pacific Rim”), and Sophie Wilde (“Talk to Me”).
The trailer for “Digger” shows Cruise’s character trying to save the world, but he’s the problem. It looks like a very timely, darkly comedic tale of apocalypse for the times we live in. Warner Bros. is billing it as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” Cruise, for all of his accomplishments, has never won an Oscar, aside from his honorary trophy. There’s a feeling in the air that this movie could finally change that. Being associated with it would not be insignificant.
For Das, sad to say, it’s one of those close but no cigar situations. It’s just the nature of the beast.
“Digger” hits theaters on October 2, 2026.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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