FIRST LOOK

First Look: Tom Cruise in Bryan Singer's Valkyrie

by Alex Billington
July 19, 2007

The recently reformed United Artists has released the first photos of Tom Cruise as Nazi Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in Bryan Singer’s latest project, Valkyrie. The WWII film just started its principal photography over in Berlin and stars Cruise as well as Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Eddie Izzard, Thomas Kretschmann, and Terrence Stamp. Anyone interested should definitely take a look at these photos of Cruise in his uniform and direct comparison photos.

Valkyrie is the first time in 12 years that screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie and director Bryan Singer have partnered since The Usual Suspects (in 1995). The film is a suspense thriller based on the true story of the daring German officers’ plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944.

On this comparison photo, the left is the actual Claus von Stauffenberg, and on the right is Tom Cruise.

This second photo is of Tom Cruise in full costume as Stauffenberg.

The "July 20 Plot" on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of WWII. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government ... He must kill Hitler himself.

Interesting Note: IMDb has listed the actual title of the movie as Rubicon instead of Valkyrie, stating that Valkyrie was just a working title (used for filming and initial naming) and that I guess Rubicon might be the official release title we'll see next August.

Anyone who is following this should be quite excited. If this isn't proof that Tom Cruise can both look and play the part, despite his personal off-screen beliefs, than I don't know what else would. Just as they're doing with Indiana Jones IV, these early photos will just start building good buzz and interest that I know I'll certainly be following. Anyone else?

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Related categories: First Look, Hype