Luc Besson Has Been Waiting His Entire Life to Make Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

The Fifth Element director Luc Besson can’t wait for you to see his new film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. In this new featurette, Besson talks about discovering his first copy of Valérian and Laureline at ten years old, and being completely struck by the story of a “modern couple…except that they are in the 28th century and everything is weird.” 

Besson has always wanted to make this movie, and mentions the idea was brought up during The Fifth Element, but was held back by the fact that “the technology was not good at the time, it was not possible.” Then, Avatar happened and now, “there’s no limit anymore.” Valerian is sure to be a visually spellbinding film. “In The Fifth Element there [are] 188 special effect shots,” the director points out,  “in Valerian there are 2734.”

If you need a refresher on the plot, Besson gives a run-down of the characters and we get some exciting looks at the action, world-building, and most importantly, Rihanna. Here’s the synopsis:

“In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.”

“It has always been my dream to put the characters on the big screen,” Besson says. “I’ve been waiting my entire life to make this film and the journey has been amazing…I gave it everything I had.”

Valerian comes to theaters July 21st. Are we going to see you in space?

(via /Film, image: screencap)

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