BERLIN — Looks like the Germans like Tom Cruise after all. Despite the controversy and permit issues surrounding the Bryan Singer-directed WWII thriller “Valkyrie,” the German federal film board has approved a $6.5 million in tax incentives for the project.

A German film board spokeswoman confirmed that “Valkyrie” was entitled to the automatic tax rebate because it is being produced along side Germany’s Studio Babelsberg.

Shooting on the film, the true story of German officer Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and his failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, is set to begin July 19 in Babelsberg with Cruise playing the hero.