If you’re finding yourself over cinematic universes, reboots, remakes, and sequels, you have something to look forward to next year. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was a hot topic at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, and now we’re seeing its first trailer ahead of its release next summer. It looks like the epitome of a summer blockbuster in the best of ways.
Admittedly, Valerian isn’t a completely original story. The movie is an adaptation of Valérian and Laureline, a series of French graphic sci-fi novels set in the 28th century, when Earth has joined the galactic community and gotten time travel figured out. Striking a good balance between humor, thoughtfulness, and adventure, the graphic novels seem perfect for the big screen.
The debut trailer shows Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne in the title roles, along with a whole bunch of CGI alien friends. The shots of towering skyscrapers and flying cars might remind you of The Fifth Element, and for good reason — Valerian was directed by Luc Besson, who also did the ’97 sci-fi classic. Jean-Claude Mézières, the artist behind the graphic novels, also worked on The Fifth Element, so if you loved that movie, we’re thinking you’ll like Valerian. But, this isn’t a ’90s nostalgia play — maybe a good thing after the reception Independence Day 2 got. Several people have remarked that the trailer reminds them of the video game series Mass Effect, something we definitely see in the armor, the aliens, and the cityscapes. That said, it does have the best of all possible retro sci-fi bona fides — Rutger Hauer.
Check out the trailer, and if it gets you interested, mark down July 21, 2017 on your calendar. Oh, and if you’re wondering, yes, that was Rihanna near the end. It’s not going to be boring, we know that much.
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This story was originally published at The Trailer for Valerian Shows Off a Magical Sci-Fi Adventure