So, Alejandro González Iñárritu, the guy behind heavy-hitters like Birdman and The Revenant, is switching things up with his next project. At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, he dropped a bombshell: his new movie with Tom Cruise is a “wild comedy of catastrophic proportions.” Yep, you read that right—a comedy from the king of intense dramas, starring none other than Mr. Mission: Impossible himself.
This untitled film, announced back in February 2024, is Iñárritu’s first English-language gig since The Revenant scored him a Best Director Oscar and Leonardo DiCaprio a Best Actor win in 2015. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment are backing it, and the buzz is real. Cruise, who’s been jumping off cliffs and flying jets in movies like Top Gun: Maverick, is apparently ditching the action-hero vibe for something more grounded and character-focused.
The story? It’s about “the most powerful man in the world” scrambling to prove he’s humanity’s savior before a disaster he caused wipes everything out. Iñárritu called it a “brutal comedy” that’s equal parts “scary and funny,” which sounds like a wild ride with some sharp satire thrown in.
The cast is stacked—Sandra Hüller from Anatomy of a Fall, Jesse Plemons of Killers of the Flower Moon, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Wilde, and Emma D’Arcy from House of the Dragon. That’s a lineup that screams prestige, and it’s got people talking about Oscars already.
They started shooting in November 2024 at Pinewood Studios in the UK, though things hit a slight snag in March 2025 when John Goodman got a minor injury. Iñárritu, who wrote the script with his Birdman buddies Nicolás Giacobone and Alexander Dinelaris Jr., plus Sabina Berman, is now editing in London. He’s also teamed up again with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, so expect this thing to look gorgeous.
Iñárritu couldn’t stop raving about Cruise to Deadline, saying, “This is a wild comedy of catastrophic proportions. It’s insane. He makes me laugh every day. The range that I discovered working with Tom is unprecedented for me as a director. I was so f***ing impressed and happy.” He made it clear this isn’t Cruise running and jumping—it’s a story “mounted on the shoulders of Tom,” leaning into his acting chops. Cruise has shown he can nail comedy before, like in Tropic Thunder, and this feels like a chance for him to flex those muscles again after years of action flicks.
For Iñárritu, a comedy is a big pivot. His films, like Amores Perros or Bardo, usually dig deep into heavy stuff like life and death. But Birdman had some dark laughs, so he’s not totally new to humor. This one, though, sounds like it’s cranking the absurdity up to eleven while still having that human touch he’s known for. Teaming up again with his Birdman writers and Lubezki feels like a recipe for something special.
The movie will hit theaters on October 2, 2026, right in the sweet spot for awards season. With Iñárritu’s track record—seven Oscar noms, four wins—and Cruise’s ability to steal scenes, people expect a mix of laugh-out-loud moments and deeper vibes. Fans on X are hyped, calling the Cruise-Iñárritu combo a dream team and guessing it’ll be a “black comedy” or “epic satire.” Some folks aren’t sure Iñárritu can pull off a crowd-pleaser, but the excitement’s definitely there.
This “wild comedy of catastrophic proportions” sounds like a bold swing for both Iñárritu and Cruise, blending chaos, humor, and maybe a bit of heart. With that cast and creative team, it’s shaping up to be one of 2026’s biggest films. We’ll see if it lives up to the “scary and funny” promise, but it’s already got everyone talking.
Source: Deadline