BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhuanet) -- One Tome Cruise's movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler has been banned from filming at German military sites, media reported Tuesday. 

    Cruise, also one of the film's producers, is a member of the Church of Scientology which the German government does not recognize as a church. Berlin said it masquerades as a religion to make money, a charge Scientology leaders reject.

    The U.S. actor will portray Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, leader of the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Nazi dictator in July 1944 with a bomb hidden in a briefcase.

    German Defense Ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer said the film makers "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult."

    "In general, the Bundeswehr (German military) has a special interest in the serious and authentic portrayal of the events of July 20, 1944 and Stauffenberg's person," Kammerbauer said.

    The decision drew a sharp response from Cruise's film producing partner, Paula Wagner, chief executive of United Artists Entertainment, who said Cruise's "personal beliefs have absolutely no bearing on the movie's plot, themes or content."

    In a statement, Wagner said von Stauffenberg is characterized as a "heroic and principled figure." "We believe it (the film) will go a long way toward reminding the world that even within the ranks of the German military, there was real resistance to the Nazi regime," she said.

    The film, slated for a 2008 release, will be directed by Bryan Singer and co-star Kenneth Branagh. It is called "Valkyrie" after Operation Valkyrie, the plot's codename.

    (Agencies)