Days of Thunder Sparked Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s A-List Love Story
Tom Cruise has lined up a rare detour into dark comedy with a new film announced today, reuniting him with a familiar behind-the-camera collaborator.
Filming the 1990 racing drama Days of Thunder didn’t just put Tom Cruise behind the wheel — it put him in the same frame as Nicole Kidman . He played hotshot driver Cole Trickle, she was neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki, and the on-set spark moved fast. By the end of that year, the co-stars were married.
Their partnership spilled into more movies — Far and Away and Eyes Wide Shut — and into home life as they adopted two children. The pair became one of the most-watched couples of the ’90s before announcing their separation in 2001 after 11 years of marriage.
Next up: Digger
Cruise’s next act, Digger, is a tonal swerve: a dark, satirical comedy about a powerful man racing to save the world from a catastrophe he set in motion. Directed and co-written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, it leans into a sly, self-aware register closer to Cruise’s early-career mischief in Risky Business than his recent action- hero mode.
“a comedy of catastrophic proportions.”
The ensemble around Cruise is stacked:
- Riz Ahmed
- John Goodman
- Sandra Hüller
- Michael Stuhlbarg
- Jesse Plemons
Digger is set to open in the United States on October 2, 2026 , with an IMAX rollout planned.