Valkyrie

Valkyrie is a 2008 historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II that depicts the July 20, 1944 plot by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The United Artists film was directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie. The film marked a re-teaming of Singer and frequent collaborator McQuarrie, who had also made World War II home movies together as children. When Singer sought a smaller project after completing Superman Returns in 2006, he learned of McQuarrie's script, which the screenwriter had begun after visiting Berlin and learning of the plot in 2002.

Tom Cruise appears as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the key plotters. Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp and Tom Wilkinson also feature. Cruise's casting caused controversy among German politicians and members of von Stauffenberg's family because of the actor's practice of Scientology, which is considered a totalitarian organization in the country. German newspapers and filmmakers supported the film to spread global awareness of von Stauffenberg's plot. The filmmakers initially had difficulty setting up filming locations in Germany due to the controversy, but they were later given leeway to film in locations pertaining to the film's story, such as Berlin's historic Bendlerblock.