Composer Alexandre Desplat To Score Luc Besson’s ‘Valerian’

When the news broke a few days ago that Michael Giacchino was replacing Alexandre Desplat as the composer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, one mystery remained: where would Desplat go next? Today, director Luc Besson revealed that the composer has moved on to his own film, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Besson shared a photo on his Twitter account of of the composer, welcoming him aboard what looks to be a wild ride of a space adventure.

No word yet on whether “Black Star” was shade or just a typo. (Keep your “Storm Soldiers,” we have Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan in cool suits!)

Regardless, Besson seems very happy about the new addition to his film, and rightly so: Desplat won an Academy Award for his work on The Grand Budapest Hotel, and has also won two BAFTAs, two Grammys, and a Golden Globe Award. His work spans all kinds of genres, and stretches from Twilight to Harry Potter to Zero Dark Thirty to Godzilla. Desplat reportedly left Rogue One because of scheduling difficulties that arose out of late-in-production reshoots, but it seems he’s caught the space opera bug. He’ll no doubt be right at home in what looks to be a rip-roaring sci-fi epic.

We don’t know a whole lot about what Valerian will be like, aside from some pretty crazy-looking set photos. To tide you over until we get a trailer, here’s the official synopsis:

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.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets will hit theaters July 21, 2017.