As anticipation around the film continues to build, a brand new image and poster for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets have been revealed, and for many fans of writer and director Luc Besson’s work, the film is a long time coming. Not only has Valerian been a passion project for years for Besson, but it’s also the first time that the legendary filmmaker is returning to the same kind of space opera genre since 1997’s The Fifth Element. Presenting a futuristic world unlike any other through the lens of a wholly unique filmmaker, The Fifth Element was such a hit that fans of Besson have been asking him about a possible sequel or follow-up film ever since it was released.
While Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets isn’t a sequel or even direct follow-up to The Fifth Element, it does have Besson tackling the sci-fi genre in a unique way, more colorfully and ambitious than a majority of the other space operas of recent memory (with a few notable exceptions). It’s for that reason, along with many others, that Valerian is turning out to be one of the most anticipated blockbuster films of this year’s packed summer season, even despite some of its equally-impressive competitors.
With just a few more months to go until Valerian flies into theaters this July too, a brand new poster and never-before-seen image from the film have been released online today. The poster, released by STX Entertainment, continues the icy blue and white aesthetic of the last poster for Valerian, with many more characters this time around. Meanwhile, the image (via Yahoo! Movies) offers a new look at Cara Delevingne’s smart and fierce Laureline. Check out both images for yourself down below:
Based on the long-running Valerian and Laureline french comic book series created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets follows the titular characters (played by Dane DeHaan and Delevingne) when they are tasked with investigating and protecting the metropolis of Alpha. A melting pot of over a thousand planets and cultures sharing all of their knowledge and working together, Alpha’s safety is suddenly called into question when a dark force at the center of it threatens to tear the world apart, with only Valerian and Laureline capable of stopping it.
Anticipation has been building for Valerian ever since it premiered its first footage at San Diego Comic-Con last year, where many left its panel calling it one of the best teasers shown during the convention. But more than anything else, Valerian promises to be one of the most visually awe-inspiring films audiences will likely see in the cinema this year, as Besson and his collaborators work tirelessly to make its world feel and look as real as possible. Depending on how positive word of mouth is closer to its release, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets could very well wind up being one of this year’s surprise smash hits.
Next: Valerian Is the Most Expensive Film in French History
Source: STX Entertainment, Yahoo! Movies
- Valerian Release Date: 2017-07-21
