By Rudie Obias | 8 years ago

Retirement does not seem to sit well with Luc Besson. In 2006, the filmmaker said he was going to retire from directing but now it seems like he’s back in the director’s chair and he’s busier than ever. After directing The Lady last year and producing Taken 2, the sequel to the widely popular 2009 film Taken. Luc Besson is set to adapt an English speaking film of the French science fiction comic book series, Valérian and Laureline, which maybe simply re-titled Valérian.

EuropaCorp CEO Christophe Lambert announced the development of the Valérian project with Besson in Paris on Friday. According to Variety, the French filmmaker will be giving Valérian a makeover.

Created by Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres in 1967, the graphic novel is a space adventure involving a time traveling agent Valérian and his sexy, fiery redheaded female sidekick Laureline, as they explore the universe in the 28th century. The character of Valérian is strong but is often reluctant to follow orders from his superior officers. The series has been publishing stories in France until its final installment in 2010. This long running series will be Besson’s first sci-fi film since his 1997 cult hit The Fifth Element.

It is unclear when this project will start shooting or when it will be released. Besson’s current project for EuropaCorp is the crime thriller Malavita featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert DeNiro. Malavita will be released sometime in 2013. If Valérian has the same scale and art design as The Fifth Element then audiences will be in for something special.