Valerian Hits the Silver Screen in 2017!

COMING YOUR way in 2017, the Luc Besson movie Valerian, based on the popular French comic book strip created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres.

Those unfamiliar with the strip may find certain aspects similar to The Fifth Element, Besson’s first sci-fi outing, and more astoundingly Star Wars – that gets to celebrate its own 4oth anniversary in 2017. Valerian, however, came first by a long shot.

Valerian first featured in the French anthology magazine Pilote back in 1967. Titular hero Valerian is a spatio-temporal agent for Galaxity, the Terran empire of the future, his partner Laureline, originally from 11th century France. Together for over 43 years, their creators had them resolve alien conflicts, become involved in countless time paradoxes, and save the empire.

Though serialised in Heavy Metal magazine over in the USA and books later published by the likes of NBM the series has never really caught hold in the English speaking world until British based publisher Cinebook began publishing the series in graphic album form. Pop around COMIC TIME and you’ll find various reviews of their books, and then check them out for yourselves. In the meantime we invite you to peruse this video from the San Diego Comic Con, featuring Besson, plus Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne who take the lead roles in an adaptation of the classic Valerian story, The City of a Thousand Planets due out next year.