Luc Besson, the director who gave us the weird and wild outer space fun of The Fifth Element, and Milla Jojovich's "multipass" (I could listen to her say that all day), is headed back to the realm of sci-fi this summer. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is based on the popular French graphic novel series, and it's a much bigger film in just about every way, which is perfect for the director who's known for going way over-the-top.
Featuring a killer cast of Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna, Clive Owen, and Ethan Hawke, the film follows two temporal operatives from a government agency charged with keeping order throughout the universe. As you'll see from this footage, their latest mission sends them to a sprawling world comprised of thousands of different cultures and species. There's also a fair deal of romantic tension between DeHaan and Delevingne, which if you've read the books you'll know is a big sticking point between them for a bit.
Here's the official synopsis: Rooted in the classic graphic novel series, Valerian and Laureline- visionary writer/director Luc Besson advances this iconic source material into a contemporary, unique and epic science fiction saga.
Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. Valerian has more in mind than a professional relationship with his partner- blatantly chasing after her with propositions of romance. But his extensive history with women, and her traditional values, drive Laureline to continuously rebuff him.
Under directive from their Commander (Clive Owen), Valerian and Laureline embark on a mission to the breathtaking intergalactic city of Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis comprised of thousands of different species from all four corners of the universe. Alpha’s seventeen million inhabitants have converged over time- uniting their talents, technology and resources for the betterment of all. Unfortunately, not everyone on Alpha shares in these same objectives; in fact, unseen forces are at work, placing our race in great danger.
It's taken a while but I'm starting to get excited about this one. The special effects look great and I appreciate the chance to see DeHaan and Delevingne, two nontraditional sci-fi stars, leading a film of this size. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets opens July 21st.
