TOM CRUISE - CRUISE LINED UP FOR WW2 DRAMA

CRUISE LINED UP FOR WW2 DRAMA

Tom Cruise is set to star in a second world war drama based on real events.

Written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, the untitled project centres on an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the height of the war.

Cruise's involvement in the film was originally limited to producing it through his company United Artists (UA), which he runs with Paula Wagner.

But after a number of meetings about the project, director Bryan Singer decided to offer the central role to Cruise, who accepted it yesterday.

"After reading the script, Tom and I knew immediately that this was a film that we had to make," UA chief executive Wagner said.

"As an added bonus, because of Bryan Singer's involvement and Tom's admiration for him as a filmmaker, as well as the excellence of the script, the project attracted Tom as an actor. I cannot think of a more perfect combination of creative elements for our second production."

Lions for Lambs, a Robert Redford-directed film starring Meryl Streep and Cruise, will be the first production for UA, which was 'reborn' under a new partnership between Cruise, Wagner and MGM studios last November.

Production on the second world war drama will begin this summer.