German official says "sorry" to Cruise

The official who attempted to prevent Tom Cruise’s new movie being filmed in Germany has said he is "deeply sorry" for the trouble he caused.

Co-star Kenneth Branagh is quoted by Entertainmentwise as saying that the man had misunderstood the plot of Valkyrie, which tells the true story of a 1944 bid to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

He said: "All that nonsense about the Germans not wanting Tom Cruise there was largely exaggerated. A week into our shooting the man that led much of the noise that had been made rang up deeply apologetic and said: 'I'm so sorry, I just read the script, it's fantastic. I did not understand. I'm sorry'."

Cruise was banned from shooting the movie in some parts of Germany amid concerns about his Scientology beliefs and how the country would be portrayed.

Branagh added: "We ended up shooting in some of the houses where the bombs had been hidden on their way to try and get rid of Mr. Hitler."