Tom Cruise Pushes the Limits With His Wildest Movie Yet
Michael Stuhlbarg says Tom Cruise’s next collaboration with Alejandro González Iñárritu is the wildest project of his career, teasing a bold return to English-language filmmaking for the director since The Revenant—potentially titled Judy and slated for theaters October 2, 2026.
Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Inarritu made a movie together. Yes, that combo is as wild as it sounds. And Michael Stuhlbarg just poured a little gas on the hype fire, calling the whole thing the craziest project he has ever done. Same here: my eyebrow is up.
What Stuhlbarg actually said
Golden Globe nominee Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name) talked about the film during a SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview and could not stop raving about the experience. He said the shoot ran from one October through the following May — the longest of his career — and that being around this team felt like a privilege. He also called the movie a black comedy and sounded genuinely stunned by what they made together.
"That is the craziest thing I have ever been a part of in my life. It is fantastic... I arrived in October and left in May the following year. It was the longest shoot I have ever done, and it was his passion project, something he has been working on for years."
He kept the specifics under wraps, but the throughline was clear: Inarritu drove this one for years, the cast and crew were, in his words, extraordinary, and the whole operation ran on sheer willpower and tenacity. He also mentioned being close to "those kinds of kids" — a slightly odd phrase out of context — but the point was he was impressed by the younger artists around him. Bottom line: he is anxious for people to see it and feels lucky he was there.
The project, in plain English
The film is a black comedy led by Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu — his first English-language feature since 2015's The Revenant. The title is not locked, but it is currently being referred to as 'Judy.' It is slated to hit theaters on October 2, 2026.
Inarritu co-wrote the script with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, and Nicolas Giacobone. Cruise and Inarritu are producing. Emmanuel Lubezki is shooting it, and Conor O'Neill is cutting it. The ensemble is stacked: Michael Stuhlbarg, Sandra Huller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed, Emma D'Arcy, and more.
- Working title: 'Judy' (not final)
- Release date: October 2, 2026 (theatrical)
- Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu (first English-language film since 2015)
- Star/Producer: Tom Cruise
- Writers: Alejandro G. Inarritu, Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone
- Cast highlights: Michael Stuhlbarg, Sandra Huller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed, Emma D'Arcy
- DP: Emmanuel Lubezki
- Editor: Conor O'Neill
- Genre: Black comedy
- Production note: Stuhlbarg says he filmed from October to May — the longest shoot of his career — and calls it the craziest project he has ever done
Unusual pairing, massive cast, Inarritu and Lubezki back together, and a black comedy with Tom Cruise. If you are keeping score at home, that is a lot of fascinating variables. October 2026 cannot get here fast enough.