Tom Cruise can't stay out of the gossip spotlight. At no real fault of his own, Germany decided that they would not allow Valkyrie to film in their country.
Why you ask? Scientology.
Valkyrie Barred from Germany
The German Defense Ministry announced that they would not allow Valkyrie to come to Germany. Besides the film's topic, which is a strong reminder that Germany created the Nazi regime, it would seem that Germany is just too uncomfortable allowing a Scientologist -- Tom Cruise -- to run around and create a film on Deutsch soil: or, more specifically, at German military sites.
United Artists Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Paula Wagner released the following statement:
"To set the record straight, 'Valkyrie' is a historically accurate thriller that presents the World War Two resistance hero Col. Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg as the heroic and principled figure he was, and we believe it will 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. 'Valkyrie' was originated and brought to United Artists by Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie. Based on the fantastic screenplay written by Mr. McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, we gave it the green light. Mr. Singer, the director, then offered the role of Col. Stauffenberg to Tom Cruise because he thought he was perfect for the part. Aside from his obvious admiration of the man he is portraying, Mr. Cruise's personal beliefs have absolutely no bearing on the movie's plot, themes, or content. And even though we could shoot the movie anywhere in the world, we believe Germany is the only place we can truly do the story justice."
Sure, I don't necessarily agree with Scientology, but didn't Germany once learn the importance of TOLERANCE?
At least South Park knew how to have some fun with the 'religion'.
Add to Heffee!
