Clive Owen (Children of Men, The Knick) has signed on to star in Luc Besson’s upcoming sci-fi movie Valerian, alongside Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad, Paper Towns) and Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spiderman 2, Chronicle). A large investment for the indie production company EuropaCorp, the film is an adaptation of French comic odyssey Valérian and Laureline.
A favourite of Besson’s, the comic is part space opera, part time travel fantasy. Valerian, an Earth born agent for the Terran Galactic Empire in the 28th Century, is a strong and loyal hero. A man of action, he is tempered only by his companion Laureline, a strong willed, intelligent woman from medieval France. Mixing cunning, honour and sex appeal, Laureline is less compelled by the will of the Empire, and more than proves Valerian’s equal.
Mike Flemming of Deadline saw early storyboard drafts at this year’s Comic Con, and noted “the visuals conveyed a futuristic world with these amazing creatures and vistas that looked like ‘Star Wars’ meets ‘Blade Runner’ meets Besson’s ‘The Fifth Element'”.
A lifelong fan of science fiction, Luc Besson has worked within the genre numerous times, most notably with The Fifth Element (1997). Here he drew upon the art of another French comic artist, Jean Giraud (Moebius), and his seminal work with the prolific Chilean artist Alejandro Jodorowsky, The Incal. Valerian starts filming early next year.
#Peace.Love.Valerian
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