The Fatherland is having a hard time figuring out exactly where it stands on Tom Cruise--specifically in terms of his new project, Valkyrie.
The movie, which will be written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, and directed by Bryan Singer (Superman Returns), is about Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a German man who was executed for staging a 1944 assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler. Cruise, who will play Stauffenberg, is struggling to shoot on location where the events really took place, Variety is reporting.
While German filmmakers are clearly happy to support a WWII movie that is able to paint their country in a positive light and to bring awareness of a man who is now considered a hero, Valkyrie has hit several snags.
As of June 25, the German Ministry of Defense announced Cruise et al. would not be allowed to shoot at military sights (namely the Bendlerblock building where Stauffenberg was executed) because of Cruise's outspoken relationship with the Church of Scientology, which is considered a "totalitarian cult" by the German government.
But three days later, the Ministry revised its statement, saying the problem was actually that part of its offices are located in the Bendlerblock, and the shooting would be disruptive. The Defense Ministry offered a filming permit if that problem could be solved.
Unfortunately for Cruise, the Finance Ministry overruled the decision on the grounds that that filming in the memorial Bendlerblock would disrespect and exploit its spirit as "a place of mourning."
The team's request to shoot at a Berlin police station was also denied. And Stauffenberg's son, Berthold von Stauffenberg, expressed his intense displeasure at the project by informing Cruise that he "should keep his hands off my father."
However, the news isn't all bad. As of July 5, The German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) announced it will be granting $6.5 million to support the project. That should come in handy if Cruise and the German government can ever agree on where to shoot.