More Misfortune for Cruise's Valkyrie

Mon., Aug. 20, 2007 11:56 AM PDT by Sarah Hall

Tom Cruise's Nazi movie has hit yet another bump in the road.

Eleven extras were injured Sunday when they fell off the back of a German army truck while filming a scene for Valkyrie in central Berlin, officials said.

The truck was reportedly rounding a corner when the back panel flew open, sending its passengers flying. Police said a bolt apparently came loose, causing the wooden slats across the back to dislodge.

One individual remained in the hospital after the accident; the others were treated and released.

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

Though filming was halted following the incident, "it is not expected to have any impact on the production schedule," the studio said.

Neither Cruise nor director Bryan Singer was on set when the accident occurred.

Valkyrie stars Cruise as Count Claus Shenck Graf von Stauffenberg, a German war hero at the center of a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler in July 1944.

The WWII film has been mired in controversy from the start, with German officials initially professing suspicion of Cruise's dedication to the Church of Scientology, which Germany considers a cult as opposed to a religion.

The German Defense Ministry said in June it would not permit the film to shoot scenes at national military sites because Cruise had "publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult."

United Artists immediately went on the defensive, with Cruise's producing partner Paula Wagner issuing a statement clarifying that the actor's "personal beliefs have absolutely no bearing on the movie's plot, themes or content."

"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," Wagner added.

Officials later revised their stance on the ban, stating that previous bad experiences with production companies, and not with Scientologists, were the reason they did not want the movie to be shot at the military sites.

However, producers of the film were ultimately granted permission to shoot at every location except the Bendlerblock, the site of Stauffenberg's execution. Once again, German officials stressed the decision had nothing to do with Cruise's religion of choice.

"We granted all permissions but the one, for the Bendlerblock, because the dignity of this place should not be violated," government spokesperson Torsten Albig said last month. "These circumstances show that the religious beliefs of the actor are without relevance."

Meanwhile, location issues haven't been the only problem the production has faced.

German officials have expressed concern that Cruise will fail to do justice to Stauffenberg's legacy, while the war hero's son told reporters the actor "should keep his hands off my father."

Speaking on behalf of United Artists, Wagner said Cruise would portray Stauffenberg "as the heroic and principled figure he was."

"We believe it will go a long way toward reminding the world that even within the ranks of the German military, there was real resistance to the Nazi regime," she said.

Assuming nothing else goes wrong, the film is due in theaters August 2008.

United Artists announced last week that it had secured $500 million in financing through Merrill Lynch, providing the studio with the coin to cover both Valkyrie and Cruise's other forthcoming project, the Robert Redford-directed Lions for Lambs, as well as 15 to 18 additional films over the next five years.

Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.