ARTICLE
Rihanna and Kris Wu Join Dane Dehaan and Cara Delevingne in Luc Besson's 'Valerian'!
By Flora / 15 Jan 2016 (Friday)
Principal photography has commenced on the Luc Besson written and directed film VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS starring Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna and former EXO member Kris Wu, slated for release July 21, 2017.
Besson based his screenplay on the French science fiction comic series “Valerian and Laureline” created by artist Jean-Claude Mézières and writer Pierre Christin. Also starring in the film is Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Rutger Hauer and Kris Wu. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) 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 (Clive Owen), 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.
With a budget of US$208 million, VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is the most expensive non-US movie in cinematic history, with approximately 70% of the budget dedicated to special effects. The production will team up with several of the best VFX companies including Weta Digital (“Avatar”, “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies), Industrial Light & Magic (“Star Wars”) and Rodeo FX, the Canadian company responsible for the visual effects on the TV series “Game of Thrones”.
The VALERIAN project is also a social media event: for the first time, it was announced on social networks by Luc Besson himself, who created his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for the occasion. Besson has also been posting regular updates on his progress on his social media accounts. Besson also launched a worldwide online costume contest on October 7, 2015 with Yahoo! Style Editor-in-Chief Joe Zee. Participants were asked to design a costume that could be worn by a human, alien, humanoid or any other intergalactic creature in one specific scene of the movie. The top 20 best costumes were selected by Luc Besson, VALERIAN costume designer Olivier Bériot and Joe Zee, with the winners receiving $1,000 each and having their designs created and worn by actors in the film.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is slated to release in Singapore July 2017!