Valerian.and.the.city.of.a.thousand.planets.201... -

: The original comic series is credited with inspiring major sci-fi franchises like Star Wars . The film itself shares a "thematic and stylistic universe" with Besson's earlier work, The Fifth Element , even including easter eggs like a shop named "Korbens".

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) is a French 3D space opera film written and directed by Luc Besson. Based on the influential French comic book series Valérian and Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières, the film was a massive undertaking, serving as the most expensive European and independent film ever made with a production budget of approximately $180–$200 million. Valerian.and.the.City.of.a.Thousand.Planets.201...

: Director Luc Besson personally funded and crowd-sourced the production, waiting decades for CGI technology to advance enough to match his vision. : The original comic series is credited with

: The film features over 2,700 visual effects shots, compared to just 188 in The Fifth Element . Cast and Characters Based on the influential French comic book series

The film stars as Major Valerian and Cara Delevingne as Sergeant Laureline, special operatives for the human territories. Supporting cast members include: Clive Owen as Commander Arun Filitt Rihanna as the shape-shifting performer Bubble Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp Herbie Hancock as the Defense Minister Plot Summary