ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- An epic movie on the final days of Adolf Hitler, is shooting in Russia's St. Petersburg, doubling as Berlin as it falls to the Soviets.
"Der Untergang," -- "The Downfall" -- deals with the final days of the war, from the struggle of ordinary Berliners to survive the Soviet onslaught to the suicides of Hitler, Eva Braun and Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his family.
"This film is definitely the biggest challenge I have ever faced in my career," says director Oliver Hirschbiegel, who also directed "The Experiment".
In a report from Berlin, The Daily Variety said Bernad Eichinger has written the screenplay.
The movie is based on Joachim Fest's best-seller with the same name as well as on "Bis zur letzten Stunde" (Until the Last Hour) by Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge and Melissa Mueller.
It stars Swiss actor Bruno Ganz as the fuhrer. The cast includes Juliane Koehler as Braun, Ulrich Matthes as Goebbels, Corinna Harfouch as Magda Goebbels, and Ulrich Noethen as Heinrich Himmler.
The movie is set for release next year in Germany.
