Almost 17 years after Luc Besson gave us LeeLoo in The Fifth Element, he might have delivered fashion’s new sci-fi fashion idol. In the first trailer for his upcoming film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, we’ve been offered an early glimpse at Rihanna playing Bubble, an intergalactic cabaret dancer. The short teaser is more than a little reminiscent of Liza Minnelli in Cabaret.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly the director explained that Rihanna was his first choice for the role because of “her voice and the way she smiles and looks and how she expresses herself.” He went on to praise her confidence, adding “She plays stadiums with 100,000 people. You know that girl isn’t shy about the camera and the crew and all this.”
The superstar is only in the film for 20 minutes, the rest of the action is dominated by Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, who play government agents working for peace throughout the universe. So far the trailer suggests Valerian is something of a creative, or artistic sequel to The Fifth Element — which in the decades since its release has become a firm cult favorite among fashion and sci-fi fans. Watching former model Cara’s performance you can’t help be reminded of how the first film transformed Milla Jovovich from model to action hero. But while much of the focus will no doubt be on the two leads, we’re putting in an early vote for Rih Rih as our favorite character. We just wish we saw this before Halloween.
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Text Wendy Syfret