While recently chatting up Sleuth, his directorial effort starring Michael Caine and Jude Law, Kenneth Branagh also found time to touch upon Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie, his latest acting gig. “Chris McQuarrie, of The
Usual Suspects fame, wrote it with Nathan Alexander, and it’s about an
assassination attempt on Hitler that was attempted by Claus von Stauffenberg,
played by Tom Cruise, and recruited by my character, Henning von Tresckow,” says Branagh of the film, currently in production and slated for release next year.

“It’s a really brilliantly put together thriller. It’s incredible when you are
completely aware of the outcome; they didn’t succeed, but it nevertheless is this
spine-tingler. The nearness to changing the entire course of 20th century history,” Branagh continues, gesturing for emphasis, an act
“that was averted by where a briefcase was put on either side of the wooden
leg of a table at the end of another series of quite incredible near misses and
coincidences was great. And Tom Cruise is brilliantly cast. He looks quite like (von Stauffenberg)
just by the by, the historical character. I have high hopes of the film.”