Rihanna Cast In Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Rihanna is the latest to join the cast of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, writer/director Luc Besson announced on his instagram account. While he didn’t say who she’ll be playing, he did say, “she has a big part!!” and expressed his excitement.

The movie, a space-based science fiction epic, is based on a French comic book series called Valerian and Laureline. Those two roles, already cast, belong to Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, who are both comic book movie veterans (or both will be once the film premieres, at least). Clive Owen has also been cast in the film as the Commander of the force the pair work for. No villain/antagonist has been announced yet, so it’s certainly possible Rihanna could be playing a role in that vein.

The film is a return to the space saga for Besson, who wrote and directed the 1997 classic The Fifth Element. It will be his directorial follow-up to Lucy, a more grounded science fiction film. Rihanna’s acting debut came in Battleship, and she most recently voiced the character of Tip in Home.

Valerian is currently scheduled for a July 21, 2017 release date. The full official synopsis follows:

Rooted in the classic graphic novel series, Valerian and Laureline- visionary writer/director Luc Besson advances this iconic source material into a contemporary, unique and epic science fiction saga. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) 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 (Clive Owen), 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.