Tom Cruise, MGM Seek a Yuletide Gift with Valkyrie

Posted by Nathan Deen (nathan@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 14, 2008

Anybody’s guess is just as good as another as to what to expect for Valkyrie, the upcoming WWII thriller about an assassination attempt on Hitler. First, the original plan was to have the film released during the middle of this summer. Then the release was pushed back to October and it seemed as if the producers were confident about its chances come February when the Academy Awards roll around. Then something shockingly unexpected happened. The film was scaled back again, all the way to February itself. February! A cinematic quagmire where critics and audiences alike suffer through garbage like Over Her Dead Body and The Hottie and the Nottie. If I may borrow a line from the Joker: “What happened? Did your balls drop off?”

The film’s journey to theaters has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride and it seems now that, finally, equilibrium has been restored. After some positive test screenings, MGM has decided to give the film a December 26 release date. However, the jury is still out on whether or not the film will be a shiny new bike or a lump of coal.

Valkyrie has some big names attached to it. The film is directed by X-Men and Superman Returns fame Bryan Singer and penned by his Usual Suspects scribe Christopher McQuarrie. It stars Tom Cruise as Nazi Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who devises the plan to get rid of Hitler. It has a superb international cast consisting of Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretchsmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel, and Terence Stamp.

What are your thoughts about the new release date for Valkyrie?

| | Read more articles by Nathan Deen