The 2017 film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets adapts key elements from the French comic series Valérian et Laureline, which Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières launched in 1967 through Dargaud. This long-running space opera follows two temporal agents whose missions across galaxies established a benchmark for visual storytelling that later influenced the movie directed by Luc Besson.

Origins of the Comic Series

Christin and Mézières created Valérian as a response to the science fiction boom of the 1960s, drawing from French literary traditions and contemporary space race developments. The first album, Les Mauvais Rêves, introduced Laureline as a resourceful companion who quickly became central to the narrative. Subsequent volumes such as La Cité des Eaux Mouvantes and L’Empire des Mille Planètes expanded the scope to include intricate alien societies and political intrigue. Mézières developed a distinctive art style that combined clean line work with dense, imaginative cityscapes, setting the series apart from American superhero comics of the era.

Early Publication History

The series appeared initially in the magazine Pilote before collected editions reached wider audiences. By the 1970s, translations into multiple languages spread its reach across Europe. Christin maintained tight control over plotting, ensuring each story examined themes of authority and cultural collision while Mézières rendered futuristic technology with mechanical precision.

The Path to Screen Adaptation

Luc Besson first encountered the comics during his youth and cited them as a formative influence on his visual approach to science fiction. Development of the film began in earnest around 2012, with Besson securing rights and assembling a production team that included concept artists familiar with Mézières original designs. The movie incorporates sequences directly inspired by albums such as L’Empire des Mille Planètes, particularly the bustling interspecies marketplace on the space station.

Production Choices and Comic Fidelity

Besson retained core character dynamics between Valerian and Laureline yet adjusted certain plot structures to suit feature length. Visual effects teams referenced Mézières panel layouts when constructing the floating markets and multi-level habitats of Alpha, the central city of a thousand planets. Costume and set designers consulted original comic pages to maintain consistency in alien physiologies and architectural motifs. These decisions preserved the source material’s sense of scale while streamlining narrative threads for cinema pacing.

Tie-In Comics and Expanded Publications

Official tie-in releases appeared alongside the film to bridge the original series with new audiences. Editions of selected albums received new English-language printings that highlighted connections to the movie. Art books compiled Mézières sketches alongside production stills, allowing readers to compare comic panels with their cinematic counterparts. Limited-run graphic novellas expanded minor episodes from the film, such as side missions undertaken by supporting agents, without altering established canon from the 1967-2010 run of the main series.

Additional Print Extensions

Publishers issued companion volumes that explored the history of Alpha through illustrated timelines. These works maintained the analytical tone of Christin scripts while incorporating film-accurate renderings of spacecraft and planetary environments. Collectors noted that the tie-ins avoided contradictions with earlier albums, instead filling gaps around peripheral characters introduced in the adaptation.

Thematic Continuity Across Formats

Both the comics and the film examine the friction between bureaucratic oversight and individual initiative. Valerian often operates within rigid agency protocols, yet Laureline pushes against them through independent action. Environmental concerns surface repeatedly, from polluted planets in early albums to the fragile ecosystems threatened by Alpha’s expansion in the movie. Political satire remains consistent, with corrupt officials and corporate interests portrayed as obstacles to genuine exploration.

Visual Language and World Building

Mézières emphasis on layered, inhabited spaces translated effectively to the screen. The comics frequently presented cities as living organisms with multiple overlapping cultures, a concept the film amplified through extensive digital environments. Colour palettes in the original pages, dominated by muted earth tones against vibrant alien flora, informed the film’s lighting design during nocturnal sequences on alien worlds.

Character Portrayals and Performance

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne embodied the leads with physicality that echoed the comics’ dynamic action sequences. Their on-screen rapport reflected the banter and mutual respect developed across decades of comic stories. Supporting figures such as the shapeshifting dog-like creature and the pearl-diving aliens received expanded roles that honoured their brief but memorable appearances in specific albums.

Supporting Cast and Universe Expansion

Actors portraying station inhabitants drew from Mézières detailed background figures, translating two-dimensional designs into three-dimensional performances. Voice work for non-human characters preserved the comic series’ approach to alien communication styles, avoiding overt exposition in favour of visual cues.

Cultural Reach and Lasting Influence

The adaptation introduced the Valérian universe to viewers unfamiliar with European comics, prompting renewed interest in backlist editions. Academic discussions of Franco-Belgian science fiction noted how the film highlighted the series’ prescience regarding multicultural space habitats. Sales of collected albums rose in markets where the movie screened, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the original artwork.

Broader Media Connections

References to Valérian appear in later science fiction productions that cite its influence on world-building techniques. Video game developers have referenced the comic’s spatial designs when constructing explorable environments. The tie-in publications ensured that new readers encountered the source material in its unaltered form rather than solely through the cinematic lens.

Reflections on Adaptation Success

The Valerian project demonstrates how a decades-old comic series can supply both narrative foundations and visual inspiration for contemporary cinema. By prioritising fidelity to Mézières designs while allowing Besson room for cinematic interpretation, the adaptation maintained the spirit of temporal adventure that defined the comics from their inception. The accompanying print extensions further cemented the connection between page and screen, offering fans additional entry points into a shared fictional cosmos.

Bibliography

Besson, L. (2017) Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Paris: Europacorp.

Christin, P. and Mézières, J.C. (1967-2010) Valérian et Laureline. Paris: Dargaud.

Christin, P. (2015) Valérian: The Complete Collection. London: Cinebook.

Lofficier, J.M. and Lofficier, R. (2000) French Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Pulp Fiction. Jefferson: McFarland.

McCarthy, T. (2017) ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’, Hollywood Reporter, 17 July.

Mézières, J.C. (2004) Les Extras de Mézières. Paris: Dargaud.

Thompson, D. (2017) Valerian: The Art of the Film. London: Titan Books.

Variety Staff (2016) ‘Luc Besson Talks Valerian Adaptation’, Variety, 12 October.

Got thoughts? Drop them below!
For more articles visit us at https://dyerbolical.com.
Join the discussion on X at
https://x.com/dyerbolicaldb
https://x.com/retromoviesdb
https://x.com/ashyslasheedb
Follow all our pages via our X list at
https://x.com/i/lists/1645435624403468289
Visit our Immortalis horror fiction universe at https://immortalishorror.com