BERLIN (AFP) – Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise at the weekend observed a minute of silence for the slain German resistance hero he portrays in a new World War II film, the German press reported on Sunday.

Cruise made the respectful gesture before shooting a scene of “Valkyrie” at the historic Bendlerblock building in Berlin, where authorities originally refused to allow the crew to film, before reversing their ban 10 days ago.

“Scriptwriter Christopher McQuarie, director Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise each made a short speech and asked for a moment of silence” before filming began there on Saturday night, German actor Christian Berkel told Bild newspaper.

Cruise declared that he was “touched” to be at the site, which today is used by the defence ministry and is a national shrine, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.

It added that nobody was allowed to eat or drink on the set.

Cruise portrays Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, an aristocratic officer who mounted a failed plot to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944 as Germany was losing the war, and was executed at the Bendlerblock along with his fellow conspirators.

The defence ministry said it gave the go-ahead for filming at the Bendlerblock after the filmmakers agreed to incorporate a scene showing that Germany had emerged from the evil of the Nazi regime to become a fully democratic country.

“Valkyrie” has been filming at locations in Berlin since July. It is due for release in 2008. (Source: Yahoo! News)

BERLIN, Germany (September 14, 2007) — The German government will allow the makers of a movie starring Tom Cruise as the country’s most famous anti-Hitler plotter to film at the site where the hero was executed.

Shooting of “Valkyrie,” which has attracted controversy because Cruise is a prominent Scientologist, began in July. At the time, the government didn’t give permission to shoot at the so-called Bendlerblock — part of the Defense Ministry and now a memorial to the anti-Nazi resistance — citing concerns over “the dignity of the place.”

Defense Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said Friday that filmmakers had satisfied officials in recent talks that they were “aware of the particular significance” of the former military headquarters.

United Artists Entertainment LLC said in a statement that it was “extremely grateful to the German government for allowing us to film at the Bendlerblock.” It pledged to “take special care to respect its dignity and keep our activities there within the guidelines laid down by the government.”

“Filming at the Bendlerblock has always been important to us symbolically, creatively and for the sake of historical authenticity,” the statement added. “As a result, we have been in constant communication with the government in an effort to dispel any concerns or misperceptions about the nature of `Valkyrie.“’

The movie, directed by Bryan Singer and scheduled for release next year, stars Cruise as Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg — the aristocratic army officer who was executed after a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.

Raabe said it appeared the movie would underline the fact that “barbarism did not win, but rather a democratic Germany finally arose.”

Stauffenberg and the other plotters of the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt were caught and executed after Hitler survived the explosion at his headquarters in what was then East Prussia.

The government’s initial refusal to permit filming at the place where Stauffenberg worked and died led to speculation over whether Cruise’s religious beliefs had triggered the decision. Officials denied that.

But Raabe said experience with previous filming at the site in 2003 had been a factor in officials’ initial reluctance to grant permission. He didn’t elaborate.

Officials have noted that filming permission was granted at all other sites — among them, the area around the Finance Ministry, which was once the Nazis’ aviation ministry. (Source: Access Hollywood)

HOLLYWOOD – Extras hurt on Tom Cruise’s new movie Valkyrie have been told the production company was not responsible for the accident.

Eleven extras were injured when they fell off a driving truck last month.

Authorities for occupational health and safety insist no major safety defects were found on the vehicle–contrary to the claims of some extras. An inspection had shown the truck was safe.

It is claimed the extras failed to close the truck’s side covering properly, causing it to open in transit–absolving the production company of any blame.

Filming will now have to be controlled by a safety manager at all times. (Source: Hollywood)

BERLIN, Germany (August 21, 2007) – The extras injured during the shooting of Tom Cruise’s new WWII film, “Valkyrie,” last weekend, are now threatening to sue the film’s producers, their lawyer said Tuesday.

According to European wire service Agence France Presse, attorney Ariane Bluttner has said she will launch legal action against the production company making the film, “unless it unbureaucratically and rapidly compensated the injured.”

“Those responsible on the set displayed inhuman indifference in playing with the health and the lives of the extras,” Bluttner continued to AFP.

Access Hollywood has reached out to United Artists for comment on the lawsuit threat, but has not heard back at this time.

The group of extras was injured this weekend when they fell out of a truck during filming of a new movie starring Tom Cruise. The injured parties were taken to a hospital as filming stopped on the movie, which stars Cruise as Germany’s most famous anti-Hitler plotter, Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg. Another person who fell out of the truck was unhurt.

Cruise himself was not involved in the weekend filming.

Police said in a statement to the Associated Press that a bolt on a side panel of the truck apparently came loose as the vehicle turned.

United Artists publicist Allan Mayer confirmed the accident in a statement to Access Hollywood, but said that nine people were involved — not eleven, as has been previously reported.

“The injuries where ‘extremely minor,‘” said Mayer, “and only nine extras were injured (NOT 11). The truck was going 15 miles-per-hour. The 2nd Unit was filming that day, and Tom Cruise was NOT working. Eight of the extras were treated for “cuts and bruises,” and the ninth was kept overnight for observation.”

The accident happened during filming of scenes around the Finance Ministry in Berlin, which was once the Nazis’ aviation ministry. (Source: Access Hollywood)

BERLIN (AP) — Several extras were injured when they fell out of a truck during the filming of Valkyrie, which stars Tom Cruise as Germany’s most famous anti-Hitler plotter.

The accident happened Sunday evening while scenes were being shot around the Finance Ministry in Berlin, which was once the Nazis’ aviation ministry.

United Artists said 10 extras briefly required medical attention after falling off the truck, which the studio said was traveling at less than 10 mph when wooden slats gave way — sending them off the side.

“No one suffered anything more serious than cuts and bruises, though one of the extras was kept in the hospital overnight for observation,” said a statement Monday from United Artists.

Police said a bolt on a side panel of the truck apparently came loose as the vehicle turned a corner.

“Tom Cruise was not there and the film director also wasn’t there,” said Berlin police spokesman Martin Grosse. He put the total number of injured extras at 11.

Studio officials weren’t immediately available for further comment.

United Artists said the movie’s main production unit, which includes director Bryan Singer and Cruise himself, wasn’t filming at the time of the accident — and “it is not expected to have any impact on the production schedule.”

Police opened an investigation of persons unknown on suspicion of negligent bodily harm, Grosse said. That is a standard procedure with workplace accidents in Germany.

Valkyrie stars Cruise as Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, the aristocratic army officer executed after a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.

The casting of Cruise has attracted controversy in Germany because the 45-year-old actor is an adherent of Scientology, which the German government considers a commercial enterprise that takes advantage of vulnerable people.

Some critics maintain that one of Scientology’s members shouldn’t be playing one of the Nazi era’s few heroes.

Filming of Valkyrie began in mid-July. The movie is scheduled for release next year. (Source: USA Today)

Washington, August 3 (ANI): Tom Cruise played Top Gun for real when he took control of a double-decker plane recently.

The Hollywood star and amateur pilot took the controls of a 1941 Boeing Stearman on the German location of Cruise’s new movie Valkyrie.

The Mission Impossible star’s exceptional handling of the double-decker plane earned him outstanding marks and praises from co-pilot Thomas Schuttoff, director of the Berlin-based pilot training school, Tempelhof Aviators.

“There are pilots who can fly a plane. But Tom Cruise has the soul of flyer. I saw that right from the start,” People quoted Schuttoff, as telling Germany’s Bild newspaper.

Schuttoff said that Cruise offered to shell out for the fuel he used, but Schuttoff didn’t let him pay.

Cruise met Schuttoff at Tempelhof Airport, the oldest airfield in the world, where Cruise has been a well-known figure since starting production on his new movie Valkyrie, wherein he plays the real-life attempted assassin of Hitler, Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg. (ANI) (sawf.org

AZCentral adds:

Tom Cruise couldn’t contain his excitement after he co-piloted a massive 1941 Boeing Stearman plane. The ‘Top Gun’ star took the controls of the historic double-decker aircraft on the German set of his new World War II movie ‘Valkyrie’.

Tom exclaimed, “Wow, wow, what a machine this is”, but instead of pressing the button to speak to his co-pilot he pressed the button to transmit to the control tower, meaning the tower and all other flyers heard his delight. However, that was the only in-air mistake he made, according to his co-pilot Thomas Schuttoff, 43.

Schuttoff – the director of the Berlin-based pilot training school Tempelhof Aviators – said: “There are pilots who can fly a plane. But Tom Cruise has the soul of flyer, I saw that right from the start. He was so nice. Afterwards, he offered to pay for the fuel he had used but I told him I wouldn’t hear of it.”

The enormous plane was used by the US Air Force to train airmen during WWII.

By WENN | Wednesday, August 01, 2007

HOLLYWOOD – British actor Bill Nighy has defended his costar Tom Cruise’s religious beliefs after filming on their new movie was jeopardized by German authorities’ Scientology concerns.

Cruise is playing World War II hero Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg–who led an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler–in Rubicon.

However, efforts to shoot the movie on military sites were thwarted in July by Germany’s Defense Ministry, allegedly because Cruise’s Scientology beliefs are viewed as a “moneymaking cult” instead of a legitimate church by the German government.

But Nighy–who has already defended the film as a “heroic tale that deserves to be told”–is now urging greater tolerance for Cruise’s views.

He says, “It doesn’t make sense. I can’t see the point of persecuting an individual for what they believe. Whatever they believe.” (Source: Hollywood)