Luc Besson, French director. [Photo provided to China Daily]

For Besson, the movie is a tribute to Valerian and Laureline, one of the most popular sci-fi comic-book series in France and Europe.

Created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres between 1967 and 2010, the comics are about adventures of two agents who travel through space and time.

The comics are regarded as a phenomenon in the history of European pop culture, and influenced such sci-fi blockbusters as the Star Wars franchise and Besson's 1997 film The Fifth Element.

"The way they told stories is different from today," says Besson, who says he even fell in love with the female character, the sexy-and-heroic Laureline.

Besson says his cast－led by American actor Dane DeHaan and British model-actress Cara Delevingne－will tempt the moviegoing public, who now mainly comprise youth.

One of the other reasons Besson loves the comic books is because the characters are unlike typical aliens. "Most aliens on the big screen are dark, scary creatures, but in the books the aliens are very funny and cute," he says.

Besson says his sci-fi tale to some extent parallels the migrant crisis in Europe.

The aliens in his film co-exist harmoniously with other species in a fictional city in a futuristic world.