I'm not sure how well VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is going to do when it makes its way out into the world next month. Although it's based on a comic book and this is an age of highly successful comic book adaptations, Claude Mézières' comic Valérian and Laureline isn't exactly one of the most well known books out there. Will the sci-fi adventure starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne appeal to moviegoers who have never heard of the characters before? We can only wait and see.
Regardless of how VALERIAN does at the box office, the film is already a success in one way – it's the realization of a life-long dream for director Luc Besson, who started reading the comic book when he was just ten years old.
The film Besson has made from the concepts presented in this comic that had such a great impact on him has the following synopsis:
Valerian and Laureline 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, 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.
DeHaan and Delevingne's co-stars include Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Rutger Hauer, and Herbie Hancock.
Besson discusses the project in the featurette embedded below, and hearing the passion he has for this material really warms my heart and makes me root for this movie to do well. It draws me in and gets me interested in watching it, even though I don't know Valérian and Laureline and, honestly, didn't even like Besson's similar sci-fi adventure THE FIFTH ELEMENT. That one didn't do anything for me, but I'll be giving VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS a chance.
July 21st is the release date.