Luc Besson to Rebound From ‘Valerian’ Failure With ‘Lucy 2’
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets proved that perhaps not all passion projects are meant to come to fruition. Director Luc Besson may be pleased with how his ambitious (and horribly miscast) sci-fi epic turned out, but it was a total bomb at the box office, effectively nixing any plans for a sequel…for that film, anyway. The French filmmaker has apparently entered the rebound stage of his big-budgeted heartbreak, returning to his last successful cinematic relationship in the hopes of rekindling that box office magic.
Per Variety, EuropaCorp is rethinking their upcoming projects in the wake of Valerian’s failure at the box office. At a recent shareholder meeting, CEO Marc Shmuger said the company will pivot to action-thrillers and sci-fi features, including a sequel to a film that combines elements of both: Lucy, Besson’s bats—t insane sci-fi actioner starring Scarlett Johansson as a woman who unlocks the full potential of her brain after having a new street drug forcibly implanted in her body.
According to Shmuger, Besson has already completed a script for Lucy 2. Shmuger didn’t elaborate on the plot for the sequel, and it’s unclear if — or how — Scarlett Johansson might return to reprise the eponymous role. Given the ending of the first film, it seems unlikely, but the world that Besson created is definitely wacky enough that any manner of crazy nonsense seems possible.
And to be perfectly honest, if Besson is going to make a sequel to one of his ambitious sci-fi action flicks, Lucy is a far more attractive prospect than spending another two-plus hours with Dane DeHaan in a costume from Jimmy Buffet’s intergalactic Margaritaville resort wear collection.