Variety has reported that Kenneth Branagh has signed on for Valkyrie, a WW II thriller from the creative forces behind The Usual Suspects.
Branagh will play a german general that devises the plan to assassinate Hitler, and is also a mentor to Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg (played by Tom Cruise).
Valkyrie is a based on actual events.
Bragagh is best known for his film versions of Shakesphere, but also starred in, and directed, the excellent thriller Dead Again.
Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns) will direct a screenplay by his Usual Suspect cohort Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander.
Also in negotiations to join the cast are Bill Nighy and Stephen Fry.