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Tom Cruise Hitler assassination film pushed back to 2009

April 8th, 2008 by Scott Marks

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Those of you eager to see a brainwashed Scientologist attempt to assassinate Hitler will have to wait another year.

Valkyrie, initially set to open October 3 has been pushed back to President’s Day weekend, 2009. This is the second time the film’s release date has been moved. It was originally slated to premiere in June.

“When an opening became available for President’s Day weekend, we seized the opportunity,” said a tap dancing Clark Woods, MGM domestic distribution president. “Having seen a lot of the film and how great it is going to play once it’s finished, moving into a big holiday weekend is the right move.”

Director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, the critical darlings behind The Usual Suspects, have reunited to tell the true story of a plot to assassinate Hitler during the height of WWII. Singer is no stranger to Nazis on film. In Apt Pupil he planted war criminal Ian McKellan deep in the heart of Altuna and who will ever forget his shameless use of the Holocaust as plot motivator in X-Men?

The film’s production has been surrounded by difficulty and a lot of controversy, most of it trumped up by studio publicists. Initially, the crew was not allowed to film on Bendler Block, a historic building complex located near the Tiergarten park along the southern edge of what was once the diplomatic quarter of Berlin. False rumors that the German government banned the project due to Cruise’s Scientological leanings began flooding the internet. The authorities, eager to preserve “the dignity of this place” eventually overturned their decision after Cruise and McQuarrie’s persistent pleas.

Footage from the original negative was destroyed after being treated with the wrong chemical during development causing several scenes to be re-shot. And according to imdb.com, ” Eleven film extras playing Wehrmacht soldiers were injured on set in Berlin when they fell out of a moving lorry. One of the actors received a serious back injury while others had bruises, cuts and head injuries. An insurance company investigation into the accident found that there was no mechanical malfunction of the truck. The investigation concluded that the side panel had been closed improperly by one of the extras, resulting in it opening while the truck was in motion.”

Valkyrie is the actor’s second attempt to resuscitate United Artists, the studio Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner took control of in November of 2006. Their first production Lions for Lambs (which Cruise also starred in) is estimated to have lost $30 million.

Tom Cruise photos:
Risky Business
The Color of Money

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