French film director, screenwriter, and producer Luc Besson brings to life the epic French graphic novel "Valerian and Laureline" in his upcoming sci-fi film "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." The film boasts of exemplary special effects, which serve as an interesting reminder of the movie "The Fifth Element," Besson's hit sci-fi movie in 1997 that starred Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich.

The film follows the lives of special operatives Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) as they maintain the peace and order in the universe for the human territories. They embark on a special mission to the intergalactic city of Alpha, an ever-growing metropolis where species from various parts of the universe co-exist. However, there are also dark forces operating in Alpha and the two lead characters must continue to ensure the safety of the human race.

The movie is expected to impress viewers with its stellar members of the cast that include Grammy winner/singer Rihanna, Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, and Chinese rapper/actor Wu Yifan.

Meanwhile, the film's official theme music is The Beatles' "Because," which according to Besson was not very hard to license. As it turns out, Paul McCartney is a fan of Besson's works and wanted to contribute to the upcoming film according to Cinema Blend. McCartney wants to be part of something fresh and something new.

In the same article, the writer/director explained how he was able to work out making the song part of the film. "I just asked! We reached out to Paul McCartney, and he asked, 'What is the film?' and then he said yes! I never met him – I wish I could, to thank him. From what I heard, he's seen a couple of my films – and because he's from U.K. and I'm from France, we're both from Europe, so maybe a little closer."

The "Valerian" comic book series by Pierre Christin was first published in Pilote magazine in 1967. Its final installment was released in 2010 and is considered a landmark in European comics and pop culture. In addition to this, an animated television series titled "Time Jam: Valerian and Laureline" was aired in 2007.

"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" will hit the big screen worldwide on July 21, 2017. It is set to be released in cinemas in France starting July 26.