Out director Bryan Singer chose "Valkyrie" with Tom Cruise over making movie about Harvey Milk...

I don't think it's a stretch to predict that "Milk" will be a solid box office hit and nab several Academy Award nominations. I wonder if the same thing will be said of "Valkyrie," the film directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise as a Nazi soldier plotting the assassination of Hitler in the war thriller that opens Christmas Day.

Ironically, Singer had signed on to direct "Milk" in 2005, envisioning the movie as a political thriller. But a new Entertainment Weekly article notes that he went off to make "Valkyrie" with Cruise instead. Way back in 1995, when Gus Van Sant - who ended up directing the film - was previously connected to the project, never heard back from Cruise after offering him the role of Dan White who is played by Josh Brolin in "Milk."

A USA Today article published Monday about Cruise and Singer notes that the movie might be a sell to audiences since it is a Nazi film coming out during the crowded holiday season.

"...Ultimately, I think this is a good time for it," Singer says. "This is still a conspiracy thriller, and the holidays give a lot of people the chance to (go)."

Cruise, once box office king, has lost some of his luster. But he told USA Today that he is also optimistic that the film will find an audience: "The subject matter isn't the easiest, he says, "but ultimately, people want to see a good story."