After sliding into a mentor role on The Voice, Rihanna continues to build up her on-screen resume. The unfiltered pop singer has landed a major gig for a shimmery new big-budget flick from French director/ producer Luc Besson called Valerian.
Besson, known for his work with grab-your-seat thrillers like The Fifth Element and Taken, announced the news on his Instagram:
This wouldn’t be the first big screen venture for the 27-year-old artist. She appeared in 2012’s Battleship, 2013’s star-studded comedy This Is The End and 2015’s Will Smith-produced Annie. She also lent her vocals to the lead role of Gratuity “Tip” Tucci in the DreamWorks animated film Home alongside Jennifer Lopez, Jim Parsons and Steve Martin.
According to Deadline, the 3D interplanetary sci-fi film boasts a hefty $180 million budget and is based on a comic book “Besson loved while growing up in Paris.” However, the eye-popping price tag doesn’t faze Besson, who is ready to go all in.
“If it was not natural, I won’t be able to do it,” Besson said. “But this is such an adventure for me, and I know it’s really a turning point … It’s the first time in the history of cinema in Europe that we going to do this kind of film. The last example was The Fifth Element. It’s like telling someone you’re going to the Olympics and you’re going to race, and there is Usain Bolt next to you. And you say, fuck yeah, I want to run.”
As of press time, no specifics on Rihanna’s role have been offered. Valerian is slated for a July 17, 2017 release.