Tom Cruise's Valkyrie gets a Christmas release date

You know that episode of Peanuts where Charlie Brown is being followed around by a raincloud? That must be kinda like how Tom Cruise feels right now. His religion is a laughingstock, he's been snubbed by studio after studio, and his personal life is reduced to tabloid fodder. His latest shot at a heavy character role is hamstrung by production difficulties, minor scandal, and a press determined to knock him down off of Oprah's couch. So, color us a little surprised that MGM decided to cry "damn the torpedoes" and give Cruise's war flick Valkyrie a Dec. 26 release date.

The movie is a retelling of Operation Walküre (Valkyrie), a plot within the Nazi army in 1944 to assassinate Hitler, seize control of the German army, arrest the Nazi leadership, and make peace with the Allies in order to end World War II. Cruise plays colonel Claus von Stauffenberg of the reserve Walküre unit, who planned the "July 20th plot" and placed a briefcase bomb in Hitler's Berlin bunker. We hope for the sake of your 9th grade World History teacher that it won't be spoiling things to reveal that Stauffenberg's plan failed, and he was tried and executed.

This announcement comes on the heels of the surprisingly positive press the flick has been gathering, and is an enormous vote of confidence in Cruise's film career. "We saw and tested the movie" says Clark Woods, president of MGM Distribution, "and we believe a strong movie deserves a strong playdate."

The raincloud might be lifting for Mr. Cruise, but for now we'll have to be content with an ominous box that says "do not open until Xmas."

Related links:
News: Edwin A. Salt to star Angelina Jolie instead of Tom Cruise
Valkyrie Official Website
YouTube: Valkyrie trailer

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