Bryan Singer’s Second World War drama Valkyrie is on track to become the second large-scale US production this year after the Wachowski brothers’ Speed Racer to shoot at Germany’s Babelsberg Studios.
Principal photography on the United Artists production about the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler is expected to commence at the studios outside Berlin on July 19.
Tom Cruise is being lined up to play Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg in a cast which already reportedly includes Kenneth Branagh, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Daniel Bruehl.
The fact that the production will be coming to Babelsberg next month was underscored by the fact that a Berlin casting agency is organising a casting call this coming weekend (June 16 and 17) in Berlin for male extras aged 18-50 to play German soldiers in the historical drama.
Moreover, a spokeswoman at the Babelsberg Studios confirmed to the German daily newspaper Die Welt that talks are currently underway between the US producers for the studio to come onboard the project as a co-producer. This would then make it possible for Valkyrie to access local production funds in the same way as Speed Racer.
The Wachowski action film, which has been structured as a German-UK co-production between two single purpose vehicles – Babelsberg Sechste Film and Velocity Productions – was able to tap Euros 9m support from the recently created German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and has also submitted a funding application to the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and FFF Bayern.
The Babelsberg Studios are also set to host Stefan Ruzowitzky’s family entertainment Lilly The Witch (Hexe Lilli) and Jaco van Dormael’s Mr Nobody later this year. (Source: Screen Daily)
I have uploaded more pictures to the gallery:
Outside Essex House in NYC
Out for dinner in Madrid
Marseille, June 17th, 2005, to receive “Medal of the City”
November 5, 2005
October 1, 2005
Issy les Moulineau Heliport in Paris
Rome, July 2005, while filming Mission: Impossible 3
December 3, 2005
October 15, 2005
October 8, 2005
September 9, 2006
September 16, 2006
May 24, 2006
May 15, 2006
Credits: katie-holmes.org
