The new science fiction project from writer and director Luc Besson is the adaptation of the French comic series Valérian and Laureline, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières. The comics follow spatio-temporal agent (Valerian) and his colleague (Laureline) as they travel the universe through time and space. It’s the perfect material for a Besson movie.
A few days ago, EuropaCorp announced that the first teaser trailer for Besson’s take on Valerian and Laureline’s adventures, titled Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, will arrive on Thursday, November 10. Although Besson and company have already shared select footage and images at this year’s San Diego and New York Comic Con, the teaser will be a brand new look at the film for everyone. In preparation for this first glimpse, EuropaCorp has released new images to get to know this universe a bit more.
These new images do not show Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne), as they have previously done, but instead they give us more context on where the story develops as well as more information on one of the many alien species included in the story.
The first image is Alpha, the city where Valerian and Laureline are sent to by their Commander (Clive Owen). This ever-expanding metropolis is comprised of thousands of species from all over the universe. These 17 million inhabitants have “converged over time - uniting their talents, technology, and resources for the betterment of their citizens” – but there are unseen forces at work which place our race in big danger.
The second one is Big Market, the largest commerce center not only on Alpha but in the whole universe. It has over one million stores and according to the official description, “the market is a massive tourist attraction which exists in alternate dimension.” The creatures in the third image are from the extraterrestrial race Kortan Dahuk. This race was the first to dock with the Alpha Space Station in the year 2135. These creatures come from the planet Kas-ônar, 5,000 light-years from Earth, who “organized by the quest for harmony and beauty, they are a well-traveled race with great experience and interaction with other species.”
Starring alongside DeHaan and Delevingne are Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, and Rihanna, who have not appeared in images or videos before, but thanks to EW we now have a quick look at Rihanna’s character, dressed in a 1920s-style outfit – somewhat reminiscent of Liza Minelli’s in Cabaret. The first teaser trailer will arrive sometime tomorrow, and while we can be sure it will be packed with action and incredible visuals, let’s hope it includes a look at those characters that have been kept under wraps – including Rihanna’s character.
Sources: EuropaCorp, EW
