Having already secured the services of Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan, Rihanna, Clive Owen and Ethan Hawke, Luc Besson’s adaptation of Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets looks to be taking shape. Now, the cast is being filled out even further with the addition of two new actors.
First up is John Goodman, as revealed by Variety. Having most recently starred in the likes of Transformers: Age Of Extinction and Monsters University, and due to appear in Kong: Skull Island, Goodman has been racking up the genre credits of late, and Valerian – which will see him lend his vocals to an as yet unnamed alien character – is another addition to that list.
The next addition is a bit more leftfield: Oscar-winning musician Herbie Hancock. The news was revealed by Besson himself on his Instagram account, saying: “Herbie Hancock is a legend. His music was my only friend at 14… I learn so much listening this genius… I’m proud to have him for a role in #Valerian.” Hancock’s last acting credit was a cameo in 2012 kids TV series Girl Meets World, so it’ll be interesting to see how it gets on here.
The storyline for Valerian is as follows:
Rooted in the classic graphic novel series, Valerian and Laureline, visionary writer/director Luc Besson advances this iconic source material into a contemporary, unique and epic science fiction saga. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. Valerian has more in mind than a professional relationship with his partner- blatantly chasing after her with propositions of romance. But his extensive history with women, and her traditional values, drive Laureline to continuously rebuff him. Under directive from their Commander (Clive Owen), Valerian and Laureline embark on a mission to the breathtaking intergalactic city of Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis comprised of thousands of different species from all four corners of the universe. Alpha’s seventeen million inhabitants have converged over time- uniting their talents, technology and resources for the betterment of all. Unfortunately, not everyone on Alpha shares in these same objectives; in fact, unseen forces are at work, placing our race in great danger.
Valerian will be released in cinemas on 21 July 2017. For more on the biggest sci-fi movies, pick up the latest issue of SciFiNow.
