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Bryan Singer's Valkyrie Reshooting Three More Scenes

by Alex Billington
June 4, 2008
Source: Variety

We all know that United Artists moved Bryan Singer's Valkyrie to February 13th next year from its original spot in August this year. They claimed that this move was made as a strategic decision to capitalize on the potential of the film, but we all know that couldn't have been the case. Who would move out of the summer to one of the worst movie months of the year?! You probably even already forgot about the unimpressive trailer that debuted last year, too. Well, Variety's Peter Bart reports on his blog that Tom Cruise and company are going back to North Africa to reshoot a total of three important scenes. And if that's not all, he claims that the film is superb, which may mean these reshoots could be a good thing.

Bart reports that "Cruise will be shooting three scenes in North Africa within the next three weeks. In one, his character, Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg, is badly injured but survives, a key moment in the film's first act." He also adds that although it's not complete, certain people he knows have seen the film and told him that it's "a superb thriller." One of them even said that "Bryan Singer is back in form," which we can assume is a reference to his earlier masterpiece The Usual Suspects. I never had any doubts with Singer to begin with, but the moviegoing public seems to have latched on to the negative buzz surrounding production problems with Valkyrie, and thus will probably take these reshoots the wrong way.

I actually hate the idea that reshoots are instantly labeled as trouble. That's a label that was introduced a few years back and has stuck ever since. Unfortunately most people are too blind or too dumb to think through the idea of a reshoot and actually consider that it could potentially be a good think. Every situation needs to be addressed individually. If the reshoots have to do with test screening results or other production problems, then a case can be made that they might be problematic. However, if they're being done to improve the film, which may be the case here with Valkyrie, then they should be accepted as possibly beneficial! I guess I'm just holding out hope for Valkyrie as long as I can.

Valkyrie script was penned by Christopher McQuarrie, who also worked on Public Access and The Usual Suspects with Singer. The "July 20 Plot" on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of WWII. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government... He must kill Hitler himself.

Unfortunately we have to wait another 8 months to finally see if the reshoots made an impact on the film. I think everyone has a sour taste leftover in their mouth from Singer's Superman Returns, which is why they're all attacking him and jumping at every little production blip that they can. I'm still expecting this film to be great, especially with McQuarrie's script, and will give it the time it needs to grow. However, as much buzz as this film may eventually receive, it's going to flop terribly in February. I don't know how anyone thinks that releasing a big blockbuster in February is a path to success, because almost every February release is always an instant failure. Oh well, that's United Artists' big loss.

Will Bryan Singer redeem himself with Valkyrie next February?

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9 Comments

I think it's going to be amazing, Tom Cruise is one of the best. I hope it doesn't flop. I know I'll be there and will continue to support it and read up on it till then. Hoping for another trailer soon. Most likely after the re-shooting.

D. Buxton on Jun 4, 2008

Alex, you do have some conflicting thoughts on this project (ie. #2). Singer is hyping up his project like SUPERMAN and we all know how that turned out. It has talent but this reminds me so much of what happened to THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. It was delayed from a prime oscar spot for reshoots and released around the same time for this as an unimpressive flick. VALKYRIE is next year's OTHER BOLEYN GIRL.

Ryan on Jun 4, 2008

Valentines Day. Who doesn't want to see a Nazi crime thriller on Cupid's Weekend? How romantic. The stink of failure is already apparent by this panic move. The star and producer, who certainly knows the quality of the film better than anyone, made the decision to move it into a release date with a built-in excuse for its failure ahead of time. It is perhaps time to give up the ghost on Valkyrie. Even our favorites biff it once in a while Alex, reference wretched "Superman Returns", or my personal idol Raimi"s "Spiderman 3". Sometimes, to remain fans, we just have to let go and let the occasional clunker sink into repressed memory as we concentrate on good our idols have done in the past. I remain Raimi's #1 fan and can go months without thinking about "Spidey 3" (shudder).

Julia on Jun 4, 2008

Alex. I don't get it. You called the trailer "unimpressive", yet in the post you made in 2007 about it you said you were "damned excited". Which one is it?

Quanah on Jun 4, 2008

I thought the last trailer was really good

Vega Bro on Jun 4, 2008

i've loved everything tom cruise has been in so im sure this will be no exception!

ha1rball on Jun 5, 2008

#2 - Okay, you make a good point, so let me clarify... In the 6 months that have passed since that trailer, it's one of the few that I've forgotten. At the time I thought it looked great, because it was our first glimpse, and I still think the film will be good (read my post above), but why I say it was unimpressive is because I've realized that the trailer wasn't really as amazing as I originally thought... Put it this way. There is NO buzz for this film right now. If that first trailer was really that great, we would still be talking about it and buzzing about it, but alas, everyone really wasn't moved by it. I think the film will still be great, but I've realized that the trailer was truly unimpressive. Does that explain my conflicting opinions? Times have changed - 6 months is a longgg time! 🙂

Alex Billington on Jun 5, 2008

Yes and no Alex. I think we're not talking about this film because nothing else has been released concerning the film with the exception of reports of delays and reshoots. That is what killed this movie's buzz. The trailer is a great setup for the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. It has tension. It has a great cast. It just looks fantastic. Now, suddenly, you have all this talk that is the beginning of what we movie fans and critics know is a buzz killer, and a film destroyer: delays, reshoots, set problems, and other potential conflicts. I think the sudden dislike for the trailer is a defense mechanism for us all because the trailer looked so good, and now we're hearing bad stuff about the film well before it's even released. It's just easier for us to discredit it before it hits the screen because we'll be less disappointed and more apt to say, "Well, I figured as much." Q

Quanah on Jun 5, 2008

To me this just sounds like a modern "Hells Angels"/Howard Hughes project.... They just want to make it perfect, and I can't blame them. It's an important part of history that means alot to many people. I personally can't wait to see it and wish the team all success in the world

m.r on Jun 29, 2008

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