Cynically, it’s easy to look at Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and think, “This gets to exist because Guardians of the Galaxy is a hit.” And yes, there’s a financial calculus that goes into a studio greenlighting a big, VFX-driven sci-fi action movie. But I prefer to see Valerian as a passion project for writer-director Luc Besson, and it’s nice that he’s finally getting to realize a vision he’s had since he first fell in love with the comics.

In this new featurette, Besson explains what made him a fan of the original comics, why he had to wait so long to bring it to the big screen, and what you should know about heroes Valerian and Laureline as they traverse the planet Alpha. It looks like a big, bold piece of sci-fi that’s unapologetically weird and out there. I don’t know if it will all come together, but I really hope that it does.

Check out the Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets featurette. The film opens July 21st and stars Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Herbie Hancock, and Kris Wu.

Here’s the official synopsis for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets:

In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

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