In his continuing quest to populate the universe of his sprawling new sci-fi epic Valerian, Luc Besson is sticking to the idea that it’ll be filled with interesting actors, not necessarily the biggest stars. He’s just added Ethan Hawke to the list.
Originally created by writer Pierre Christian and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres in 1967, the series of graphic novels charts the adventures of the titular time-travelling agent (Dane DeHaan) and his female sidekick, Laureline (Cara Delevingne). Clive Owen is also aboard, playing a man named Commander Arün Filitt, with Hawke joining Rihanna in the category of “in the cast, but no character details yet.”
With a current full title of Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, this promises to be the biggest project Besson has tackled since The Fifth Element, with visions of a futuristic world that blends that film with Star Wars and Blade Runner, populated with all manner of weird creatures and just five human characters. He’s spending $180 million to bring it to life, has effects houses Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic and Rodeo FX standing ready, and has been clearing space at his studio in Paris because he needs all available soundstages. The director is eyeing a January start and a July 2017 release for the film.
Hawke, last seen in psychodrama Regression, has Westerns In A Valley Of Violence and _The Magnificent Seve_n due next year, with the latter arriving on September 23.