The Valerian casting news train just keeps gathering speed. A couple of days after we learned that Ethan Hawke has joined Luc Besson’s latest comes word that John Goodman will also be in the sci-fi film, though he might not be seen.
According to The Wrap, Goodman will be voicing an alien creature, which makes sense given that Besson plans to visit strange new worlds and only use a few human characters. There’s no indication of what Goodman’s role is exactly yet, but that’s not really surprising at this early stage.
Originally created by writer Pierre Christian and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres in 1967, the series of graphic novels charts the adventures of the titular time-travelling agent (Dane DeHaan) and his female sidekick, Laureline (Cara Delevingne). Clive Owen is also aboard, playing a man named Commander Arün Filitt, while Goodman joins Hawke and Rihanna in the unknown quantity category.
With a current full title of Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, this promises to be the biggest project Besson has tackled since The Fifth Element, with visions of a futuristic world that blends that film with Star Wars and Blade Runner, populated with all manner of weird creatures. He’s spending $180 million to bring it to life, has effects houses Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic and Rodeo FX standing ready, and has been clearing space at his studio in Paris because he needs all available soundstages. The director is eyeing a January start and a July 2017 release for the film.
Goodman is on our screens now in Christmas With The Coopers, and will be seen in Trumbo, which arrives on February 5.