Most movies that come out these days are usually from American origin, but Valerian and The City of A Thousand Planets will prove that the french also know how to make a great movie. You might not have heard about this movie yet, but I bet you can’t wait to see this movie once you’ve read this article! Here are all the highlights of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets:
1. The Story
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, shameless chasing after her with propositions of romance. But his extensive history with women and her traditional values drive Laureline to continuously reject 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.
2. The Comics
The movie is based on the French science fiction comics series Valérian and Laureline, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières. The series focuses on the adventures of the dark-haired Valérian, a spatio-temporal agent, and his redheaded female colleague, Laureline, as they travel the universe through space and time. Valérian is a classical hero, kind-hearted, strong and brave who follows the orders of his superiors even if he feels, deep down, that it is the wrong thing to do. On the other hand, his partner Laureline combines her superior intelligence, determination and independence with sex-appeal. Influenced by classic literary science fiction, the series mixes space opera with time travel plots.
3. The Cast
The movie is directed by visionary writer/director Luc Besson. He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). One of the latest films he wrote and directed was the 2014 sci-fi thriller, Lucy.
The cast of Valerian consist out of:
Dane DeHaan as Valerian
Cara Delevingne as Laureline – Although she doesn’t have red hair like Laureline from the comics
Clive Owen as Arün Filitt, Valerian and Laureline’s commander
Rihanna as Bubble, a shapeshifting entertainer
Kris Wu as Captain Neza
Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp
Sam Spruell as General Okto Bar
Alain Chabat as Bob the Pirate
4. In case you have missed the teaser trailer, you can watch it here:
This is all we know so far, Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets arrives in theatres on July 21th, 2017 in the United States and on July 26th in France and the rest of Europe.
