The Nazi Plot Haunting Tom Cruise And United Artists

When United Artists said this month that it would again delay the release of "Valkyrie," in which Tom Cruise plays a German officer who tries to kill Hitler, the Web went into obituary mode.

One Hollywood Internet site, thehotblog.com, flatly declared, "Valkyrie is dead." Another, defamer.com, said that the revival of United Artists had effectively died with it.

Meanwhile, Roger Friedman, a widely read Web reporter with a column on foxnews.com, had some career advice for Mr. Cruise: "He needs another 'Jerry Maguire'-like romantic comedy, and he needs it now."

The death notices are remarkable in that United Artists, in its current version, was financed just eight months ago. And there is no way to be certain about "Valkyrie" until the film, first set for release in June, then October, and now Feb. 13, 2009, finally opens.

In the interim Mr. Cruise, his partners at United Artists and the "Valkyrie" filmmakers are bracing for what will likely be a nine-month fight to prove their critics wrong. "We will not be daunted," Paula Wagner, chief executive of United Artists, said last week.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[DontBanMeBro]

It's really too bad. The casting of Cruise looks to be a huge mistake, judging by the trailer. And the tone of the trailer makes the movie look like some kind of potboiler - and I'm sure they're taking considerable license with actual events. Damn. Add to that the other notable faces and it becomes more like an episode of "Loveboat" than a historical drama. Those fools at UA.

Message to Hollywood: this is not a subject that you can dumb down for American audiences. Anyone who would just see a movie because Cruise is in it will avoid this picture because of the subject matter, and anyone who's interested in the subject matter will avoid it because of Cruise.

DOA indeed.

[sumanne]

The eye-patch is about the only thing that is historically correct.
nuff said
Susa

[MomAnon]

The trailer alone is enough to convince me that this movie is DOA. Even if they redubbed the whole thing with someone else's German accent (since Cruise can't seem to pull it off), he looks positively ridiculous in that stupid eyepatch. What's too bad is that the other actors probably could've done German accents, but were prevented from doing so in order to protect Cruise from his lack of ability.
Back to mindless action pics for you, Tom. If you can get anyone to finance them. (eyeroll)

[LLT]

Except the other actors are apparently all Brits highlighting his lone American accident and cheesy over acting all the more. I doubt even the likes of Brian Singer who directed a gem like The Usual Suspects can pull this one out of the dumper.

What's that sound . . . ? Could it be the ticking of a giant BOMB?!? I believe it is . . . .

[CaptainHowdy]

Yawn...

[Rubyfoo]

Tempest in a teapot. The world will little know or long remember whether Cruise's movie plays or not. People are hungry, getting blown up, going broke, and we are thrilled beyond imaging that Paula Wagner will not be daunted.

[SharonB]

Yep. What you said. Yep.

[pithymaxim]

Poor judgment overall.

[eyecon]

I guess that even an Operating Thetan is incapable of accomplishing some feats. Tom is box office poison.

[clintfatigue]

Straight to DVD? It can't be any worse than "Battleship Earth."

[adamsmith]

Xenu strikes again.....