Valkyrie kicks off shooting

After all that wrangling and waffling between the production and the Scientology-phobic German officials, Tom Cruise’s latest drama, Valkyrie, is finally shooting in the country with Bryan Singer behind the camera.

With a script by Chris McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, it’s the tale of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) who becomes the central element in a plot to kill Hitler at his bunker during World War Two and take over the German government, ending Nazi rule. "'Valkyrie' tells a story that is not only exciting but also important," Singer blabbed in a press release. "It's something that Chris McQuarrie and I have wanted to do for some time. I can't imagine shooting it anywhere else but on location in Germany, and I'm thrilled that we were able to get Tom Cruise to play Col. Stauffenberg."

Naturally, Germany’s attitude means that Tom will have to keep the Scientology conversion devices to a minimum (oh, we can already taste the hate mail), but given the relatively low profile he’s been keeping recently, we’re sure there won’t be any problems. And Tom’s production partner/UA chief Paula Wagner also seems excited things are under way: "Valkyrie is a gripping thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats - and also 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," she enthused. "As soon as we read the screenplay, we knew this was a movie we had to make."