In a move that will probably become more and more prevalent, Luc Besson took to Twitter to announce his next project, an adaptation of the sci-fi graphic novel series Valerian and Laureline.
In his first ever Tweet, he announced the adaptation which is being retitled to Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and it will see him return to the world of full on sci-fi for the first time since 1997’s The Fifth Element (although last year’s assassin flick Lucy had major genre elements). As well as directing, Besson will also write the script and it will be produced by his wife Virginie Besson Silla through his EuropaCorp company which will finance and distribute the movie.
In addition to the project’s announcement, he also let us know that two “they’re so hot right now” rising stars will headline the film in the form of Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and model-turned-actress Carla Delevingne (soon to be seen as Enchantress in Suicide Squad).
As if that wasn’t enough, Besson also gave us our first (sort of) look at the film via the logo poster. Check it out:
Written by Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières in 1967, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets will follow the titular character (DeHaan), “a spatio-temporal agent” (whatever the hell THAT is) and his red-haired companion Laureline (Delevingne) who help protect a 28th century Utopian Earth and its neighbouring planets from those who wish it harm and destruction.
It’s giving off a strong Jupiter Ascending vibe with healthy doses of Besson’s own Fifth Element – I can totally see why he would be drawn to the material.
Sources: THR, Deadline, Luc Besson