Studio Babelsberg AG, the venerable German film studio whose stages have hosted productions ranging from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” to Paul Greengrass’s “The Bourne Ultimatum,” announced today the formation of a co-production financing arrangement with United Artists Entertainment LLC for the upcoming international production of “Valkyrie.”
“Valkyrie” is an exciting thriller about the plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944. Written by Oscar-winner Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, it is being directed by Bryan Singer in his first collaboration with McQuarrie since their ground-breaking 1995 thriller “The Usual Suspects.”
Given the historic nature of our movie, Germany was the only place we considered shooting ‘Valkyrie’ – and Studio Babelsberg is the ideal partner to help us do that
Paula Wagner
CEO United Artists
Tom Cruise stars as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the aristocratic German officer who led the heroic but attempt, alongside a cast of international stars that includes Kenneth Branagh, Clarice van Houten, Eddie Izzard, Thomas Kretschmann, Christian Berkel, Jamie Parker, and Tom Wilkinson.
“Valkyrie” is the second production to be green-lit by United Artists since the fabled Hollywood studio was revived last November under the leadership of Cruise and Paula Wagner, who co-own the studio with MGM. Production is set to begin in Berlin on July 19.
“Given the historic nature of our movie, Germany was the only place we considered shooting ‘Valkyrie’ – and Studio Babelsberg is the ideal partner to help us do that,” said Wagner, who serves as Chief Executive Officer of United Artists. “We are thrilled to be working with Carl Woebcken and Christoph Fisser and all of the talented film artists at Studio Babelsberg who share our vision and will help us achieve our goal of retelling this important and thrilling story as authentically as possible.”
“We consider ourselves very fortunate to be involved as co-producers of ‘Valkyrie,’” said Dr. Carl Woebcken, Chief Executive Office of Studio Babelsberg AG. “United Artists has presented us with a great opportunity to bring this historically relevant story to a worldwide audience. We are excited to be working with Paula Wagner and her team, including director Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise, who we believe is perfectly cast as Col. Stauffenberg."
About United Artists Entertainment LLC
United Artists Entertainment LLC was formed in November 2006 under a partnership between Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), with Wagner serving as Chief Executive Officer. The historic UA brand was initially founded some 85 years ago by movie greats Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith and, throughout its history, has appeared on such iconic film franchises as Rocky, The Pink Panther, and James Bond.
Press Contacts for United Artists
Dennis Rice at United Artists
(310) 586-8333
Allan Mayer or Kelly Mullens at 42 West
(310) 477-4442
