Only a few years ago, Luc Besson was talking about how he wanted to get out of the directing lark and settle into retirement. But like so many other creative types who make such statements, he seems busier than ever. The latest likely project added to his bulging development bag? An adaptation of sci-fi comic book series Valerian.

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 and his female sidekick, Laureline.

It’s not exactly a shocking development for the director: the subject is directly in his comfort zone and he’s already a big fan of the comic’s creators, to the extent that he hired Mezieres as a conceptual designer on The Fifth Element.

The new movie has no direct title itself yet – it may just end up being named after the comic – and there’s no word on when it might shoot. It’s possible that the writer-director has been quietly plotting this move for a while now, though, as he talked up an untitled sci-fi extravaganza as "The Fifth Element to the power of 10" back in 2010.

For now, though, he’s already busy on a variety of projects, including mobsters-in-witness-protection comedy drama Malavita with Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones aboard as his next gig, and an untitled action thriller starring Angelina Jolie pencilled in for early 2013.