Germany is just saying nein to Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology.
The German Defense Ministry has barred the makers of a World War II movie about a real-life plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at national military sites because Cruise, the film's star and one of its producers, is a Scientologist.
The German government does not recognize the Church of Scientology as a religion, believing the organization to be more of a money-hungry cult than an actual church—a contention with which the organization's leaders obviously take issue.
Cruise is cast as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the leaders of a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler with a bomb in a briefcase in July 1944. The film, due for release in 2008, is titled Valkyrie after the unsuccessful plot's codename, Operation Valkyrie. Bryan Singer is attached to direct and Kenneth Branagh is costarring.
Stauffenberg, who was strongly opposed to the Nazi dictator's treatment of the Jews, planted a bomb under a conference table at Hitler's Wolf's Lair headquarters in what was then Eastern Prussia on July 20, 1944. The device detonated, killing four people but only wounding Hitler.
Unaware that his target had survived the covert attack, Stauffenberg returned to Berlin, where he was arrested and executed by firing squad early the next morning at what is now the Bendlerblock memorial inside the Defense Ministry complex.
The ministry said it has yet to receive official filming requests from the makers of Valkyrie, but it already has its official answer prepared.
Defense Ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer said Monday that the production "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult."
German officials are particularly concerned that Cruise's portrayal of Stauffenberg will not do justice to the man's legacy.
"In general, the Bundeswehr [German military] has a special interest in the serious and authentic portrayal of the events of July 20, 1944, and Stauffenberg's person," Kammerbauer said, per Reuters.
Cruise's producing partner and United Artists CEO Paula Wagner released a statement in response Monday, vowing that the film would portray Stauffenberg "as the heroic and principled figure he was."
"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," she said.
Wagner stressed that Cruise's devotion to the Church of Scientology would not have any impact on the project.
"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," Wagner continued. "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."
Meanwhile, the German Defense Ministry isn't the only party displeased with the idea of Cruise's participation in the film.
Stauffenberg's oldest son, 72-year-old Berthold von Stauffenberg, told a German newspaper Saturday that Cruise "should keep his hands off my father."
"I hoped for a while that it was all just a publicity stunt by Mr. Cruise," the younger Stauffenberg told Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
"It is sure to be crap. Of course, I could be wrong—I would like to be."
He called Cruise's involvement with Scientology "off-putting," and referred to the church as a "business."
"I am not saying that Cruise is a bad actor—I cannot judge that. But, in any case, I fear that it could turn into horrible kitsch," he said, adding that he had been disappointed by previous films about his father.
Despite his dismay over the prospect of Cruise portraying his war-hero parent, Stauffenberg said he would not resort to legal measures in a bid to thwart the project, though he remains hopeful that Cruise will drop the role of his own accord.