Apparently the upcoming Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise WWII colaboration Valkyrie has hit a snag in Germany as the German Defense Ministry has decided not to allow the film at German military sites.
Word was reported on Reuters today saying that “Germany has barred the makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist.” Hmmmm, that is an odd reason to not allow something to go forward.
The film stars Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Carice van Houten, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard and is said to be based on actual events, as German generals hatch a scheme to assassinate Adolph Hitler at the height of WWII. Here is what United Artists Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Paula Wagner said in a statement that was just issued:
“To set the record straight, Valkyrie is a historically accurate thriller that presents the World War Two resistance hero Col. Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg as the heroic and principled figure he was, and we believe it will go a long way towards reminding the world that even within the ranks of the German military there was real resistance to the Nazi regime. Valkyrie was originated and brought to United Artists by Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie. Based on the fantastic screenplay written by Mr. McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, we gave it the green light. Mr. Singer, the director, then offered the role of Col. Stauffenberg to Tom Cruise because he thought he was perfect for the part. Aside from his obvious admiration of the man he is portraying, Mr. Cruise’s personal beliefs have absolutely no bearing on the movie’s plot, themes, or content. And even though we could shoot the movie anywhere in the world, we believe Germany is the only place we can truly do the story justice.”
The Reuters article proclaims that the German government does not recognize as a church, saying it masquerades as a religion to make money, a charge Scientology leaders reject. You can read the full Reuters article here.
Who knew having a belief in something could cause so much trouble?
