Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

**Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets** is a film based on the science fiction comic series *Valerian and Laureline*. It was released 21 July 2017.

## Summary

In the 28th century, the former International Space Station reached critical mass, making it too dangerous to keep in low Earth orbit. Relocated to deep space, it became Alpha, a space-traveling city inhabited by millions of creatures from thousands of planets. A special police division was created to preserve peace through the galaxy, including happy-go-lucky Major Valerian and his partner, no-nonsense Sergeant Laureline.

En route to a mission, Valerian dreams of a planet where a low-tech humanoid race lives peacefully. They fish for pearls containing enormous amounts of energy, and use small animals to replicate them. Wreckage begins plummeting from the sky, triggering an apocalypse. Before the explosion reaches the surface, a young princess manages to send out a telepathic signal.

Shaken, Valerian wakes. After an analysis reveals he might have received a signal from across time and space, he learns that his mission is to retrieve a "Mül converter", so-called for being able to replicate anything it eats. It is the last of its kind, and currently in the hands of black market dealer Igon Siruss. Before setting out, Valerian asks Laureline to marry him, but she brushes him off, due to his many affairs with female colleagues and his aversion to commitment.

Travelling to a massive extra-dimensional bazaar called Big Market, Valerian disrupts a meeting between Igon and two hooded figures who look like the humanoids from his vision. They also seek the converter, which is one of the small animals he saw in his vision. Valerian and Laureline recover the converter, and he surreptitiously steals one of the pearls. Aboard their ship, he learns that Mül was destroyed thirty years earlier, and all information about it is classified.

They return to Alpha, where their superior, frosty Commander Arün Filitt, tells them the center of the station has been infected by an unknown force, rendering it highly toxic. Troops sent into the area have not returned, and the infection is growing. Laureline and Valerian are assigned to protect the commander during an interstation summit to discuss the crisis. Against the Commander's wishes, Laureline retains possession of the converter.

During the summit, the humanoids suddenly attack, incapacitating everyone before kidnapping Filitt. Valerian chases the kidnappers to the infected area and crashes his vehicle. Evading arrest for insubordination, Laureline enlists the help of some aliens to track Valerian, and finds him unconscious at the edge of the infected zone. She wakes him, but is kidnapped by a primitive imperial tribe called "Boulan Bathors" that emigrated from planet Goara and lives nearby. Valerian infiltrates the tribe's territory with the help of a shape-shifting dancer, Bubble. They save Laureline and escape, but Bubble is mortally wounded. As she dies, she convinces Valerian to never give up on his feelings for Laureline.

Valerian and Laureline venture further into the infected area, realizing it is not actually toxic and contains some wrecks of antique spacecraft. They reach a large shielded hall where they find the humanoids, known as Pearls, with an unconscious Filitt. Their leader, Emperor Haban Limaï, explains that his people lived peacefully on Mül until a battle broke out in orbit between the human government's fleet and another species. The human commander, Filitt, ordered the use of a doomsday weapon that annihilated both the enemy and the planet. Upon dying, Princess Lihö-Minaa transferred her soul into Valerian's body. A small group of survivors took shelter in a crashed human spaceship. They managed to repair it, and learned of the humans' technology and history. They eventually came to Alpha, where they assimilated more knowledge and built a ship that could recreate their former home. They needed only the converter and the pearl to launch the ship. Filitt admits his role in the genocide, but argues that it was necessary to end the war, and the cover-up to prevent the humans from being expelled from Alpha. Valerian and Laureline disagree, stating that the commander has only been trying to save himself from the consequences for his actions, before Valerian knocks him out again.

Valerian hands over the pearl he stole, and Laureline convinces him to return the converter too, ignoring procedures. While the Pearls' spacecraft prepares for takeoff to no more bother the other species in Alpha, Filitt's pre-programmed robot K-Tron soldiers attack the Pearls, the government soldiers who were sent to assist Valerian, and their support staff, but are ultimately defeated. The spacecraft departs and Filitt is arrested. Valerian and Laureline are left adrift onboard a still working Apollo Command/Service Module, which is identified by radio technicians as "Destiny 2005", and Laureline finally accepts Valerian's marriage proposal as they wait for rescue.

## Cast

* Dane DeHaan as Major Valerian
* Cara Delevingne as Sergeant Laureline
* Clive Owen as Commander Arun Filitt
* Rihanna as Bubble
* Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp
* Herbie Hancock as Defence Minister
* Kris Wu as Sergeant Neza
* Sam Spruell as General Okto Bar
* Alain Chabat as Bob the Pirate
* Rutger Hauer as President of the World State Federation
* John Goodman as the voice of Igon Siruss, a Kodar'Khan pirate captain and the galaxy's most-wanted criminal
* Aymeline Valade as Emperor Haban-Limaï
* Elizabeth Debicki as the voice of Emperor Haban Limaï
* Peter Hudson as Captain Crowford
* Xavier Giannoli as Captain Norton
* Louis Leterrier as Captain Welcoming Mercurys
* Mathieu Kassovitz as Camelot on Big Market
* Jonas Bloquet as K-Tron Warrior/Control Room Soldier
* Sand Van Roy as Jessica Rabbit Creature
* Sasha Luss as Princess Lihö-Minaa, Creature 'Candy Dress'
* Olivier Megaton as Captain Welcoming KCO2
* Eric Rochant as Captain Welcoming Palm Müret
* Benoît Jacquot as Captain Welcoming Arysum
* Gérard Krawczyk as Captain Welcoming Martapuraïs
* Pierre Cachia as Kortan Dahük
* David Saada as Kortan Dahük
* Hippolyte Burkhart-Uhlen as Kortan Dahük
* Florian Guichard as Mercury
* Stéphane Mir as Mercury
* Thierry Barthe as Mercury
* Pier Ewudu as Palm Müret
* Andrew Tisba as Palm Müret
* Yannick Lorté as Palm Müret
* Charly Akakpo as Arysum-Kormn
* Clément Beauruelle as Arysum-Kormn
* Audrey Kamp as Arysum-Kormn
* Anthony Hornez as Martapuraï
* Julien Bleitrach as Martapuraï
* Maxime Babara Touré as Martapuraï
* Pauline Hoarau as Empress Aloï, Creature 'Swing Angel'
* Barbare Weber Scaff as Empress Aloï (voice)
* Marilhéa Peillard as Tsûuri
* Lee Delong as Tsûuri / Tourist (voice)
* Diva Cam as Mâatri (Tsûuri's Friend)
* Judith Brunett as Mâatri (Tsûuri's Friend) (voice)
* Marie Barrouillet as Tsûuri Child
* Cindy Bruna as Guard
* Sija Titko as Guard
* Daphnée Kbidi as Tortured Pearl
* Nick Marzock as Tortured Pearl (voice)
* Ola Rapace as Major Gibson
* Stefan Konarske as Captain Zito
* Mahamadou Coulibaly as Major Gibson's Soldier, Igon Junior
* Julien Marlin as Major Gibson's Soldier
* Yvan Lucker as Major Gibson's Soldier
* Tom Hygreck as Major Gibson's Soldier
* Gavin Drea as Sergeant Cooper
* Abel Jafri as Bus Driver
* Eric Lampaert as Guide Thaziit
* Paul Lefevre as Siirt Guard / Siirt Salesman
* Guillaume Maison as Siirt Salesman
* Jean-Christophe Brizard as Siirt Salesman
* Patrick Cottet-Moine as Siirt Cop (as Patrick Cottet Moine)
* Irene Palko as Female Tourist
* Sam Douglas as Male Tourist
* Laurent Ferraro as Igon Siruss, Doghan-Dagui
* John Goodman as Igon Siruss (voice)
* Jean-Robert Lombard as Igon Sirus Guard
* Leonid Glushchenko as Igon Sirus Guard
* Peter Eberst as Igon Sirus Guard
* Akim Chir as Igon Sirus Guard
* Laminé Ba as Igon Sirus Guard
* Aurelien Gaya as Igon Sirus Guard
* Jean-François Lenogue as Igon Sirus Guard
* Tonio Descanvelle as Da, Doghan-Dagui
* Velvet D'Amour as Tourist
* James Flynn as Guide
* Doug Rand as Doghan-Dagui
* Grant Moninger as Doghan-Dagui (voice)
* Robbie Rist as Doghan-Dagui (voice)
* Christopher Swindel as Doghan-Dagui (voice)
* Emilie Goldblum as Bubble Dancer
* Claire Tran as Bubble Glamopod, Control Room Sergeant
* Anders Heinrichsen as Police Officer
* Alain Etoundi as Club Bouncer
* Fayet Nsomoto as Club Bouncer
* Kristina Kachinskaya as Creature 'Twin'
* Veronika Khayla as Creature 'Twin'
* Sissi Duparc as Creature 'Louis XVI'
* Noam Frost as Creature 'Bird Woman'
* Pauline Serreau as Creature 'Tattoo'
* Tristan Robin as Roper
* Philippe Rigot as Hero Merchant
* Alexandre Willaume as Captain Kris
* Chloe Hollings as Alex-Intruder's Voice
* Réginal Kudiwu as Major Samk
* Étienne Ménard as Red Zone Captain
* Peter Lamarque as Warship Captain
* Maximilien Seweryn as K-Tron Captain
* Zouheir Zerhouni as K-Tron Warrior
* Tristan Zerbib as K-Tron Warrior
* Elliot Jenicot as Interrogation Room Captain
* Staiv Gentis as Control Room Soldier
* Aguendia Fotabong as Emperor
* Tania Dessources as Emperor's Wife
* Gaëtan Cotigny as Fisherman
* François Bredon as Fisherman
* Cédric Chevalme as Bubble Boulan-Bathor
* Roman Blomme as Boulan Bathor (uncredited)
* Mikael Buxton as Paradise Alley Soldier (uncredited)
* David Clark as Astronaut (uncredited)
* Yun-Ping He as Controller of the Technical Chamber (uncredited)
* Maxence Huet as Controller of the technicial chamber (uncredited)
* Ben Mauro as Commander Arün Filitt Guard (uncredited)
* Alexandre Nguyen as Japanese Delegate (uncredited)
* Emilie Pommelet as Pearl (uncredited)
* Marion Roussignol as Pearl (uncredited)
* Thomas Simonin as Male Tourist

## Home Media

It was released digitally 7 November 2017, and was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD 21 November 2017.