Especially in this age of trailers being sometimes even more anticipated than the actual films, to have a director be so open about the marketing process is pretty rare, which is why it was a pleasant surprise when we saw this news this morning.

Heroic Hollywood got to chat to Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets director Luc Besson as part of a press roundtable for the film at New York Comic-Con, during which he revealed that the teaser trailer for the film is due to arrive November 10. Besson also touched on future trailer plans for the film, which would include another teaser and a full trailer:

The director went on discuss how the visual effects are still in the early stages so it is hard to show much as this point, however the press did get to see six minutes of footage from the film. As a result, the first teaser will not release until November, while a second is likely for January, and a full trailer in March.

This trailer campaign structure of two teasers and then saving the full trailer for last is something that Disney have used a lot for their Marvel properties and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and this structure has been helpful in moderating the amount of footage they showed, so it’s good to see EuropaCorp’s marketing team doing something similar. Let’s hope they do stick to it and they don’t show too much overall…

We are incredibly excited to see this first footage just over a month from now, and we will be sure to keep you updated when we hear more details on this trailer.

Valerian and Laureline 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, 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.

Starring Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne and Clive Owen, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets lands in theatres on July 21, 2017 – directly going up against Christopher Nolan’s WWII IMAX epic Dunkirk.

(via Heroic Hollywood)