Netflix in Talks with Director Luc Besson, Is Valerian 2 Possible?

CouldValerian 2actually happen? Admittedly, it still seems unlikely, but a new deal that Netflix has brewing makes it at least seem much more possible now. According to a new report, the streaming service is in negotiations with director Luc Besson and his company EuropaCorp to make new movies for Netflix. These would be branded as Netflix originals and are said to be projects in the $30 million budget range. There are a lot of moving pieces involved in this potential deal, but this is the best chance at seeing asequeltoValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which bombed at the box office.

To that point, the fact thatValerianbombed has put EuropaCorp in a precarious situation. The studio lost a ton of money and is now said to be in $285 million in debt. As such, they’re looking to partner up with another studio or, in this case, Netflix, who would potentially be buying into EuropaCorp, or possibly even acquiring the company. Netflix is said to be interested in the studio’s library of titles, which includes theTakenfranchise, theTransportermovies andTaxi. That would be a nice get for Netflix’s streaming library.

This could also mean thatValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetscould find a home on Netflix. Even though the movie made just $41 million at the domestic box office, it seems like the kind of movie that would find a sizable audience on Netflix’s platform. If the movie does find its way to Netflix and does indeed find a good audience, that could encourage the streaming service to consider teaming up withLuc BessonforValerian 2. A lot would need to happen for that to actually take place, and there’s no indication in the report of their deal with EuropaCorp that suggests this will actually happen, but it’s not impossible to imagine. Especially considering how much they shelled out forBright, which was a massive success and isgetting a sequel.

As for what this would mean? It would be a return tomid-budget moviesfor Luc Besson, which is where he excels. In that $30 million range, he would be making movies likeLeon: The ProfessionalandLucy, which were both tremendously successful. There’s been talk ofLucy 2off and on for quite some time as well. Maybe Netflix could finally get that sequel going?

In any case, this is Netflix making another potentially big move and snatching up another established director. Last year, Netflix made its first acquisition by purchasing the comic book companyMillarworld, which was founded by Mark Millar and has created titles such asKick-AssandKingsman.Varietynotes that business tycoon Tarak Ben Ammar and Lionsgate are also in the mix as potential buyers for EuropaCorp. ForValerianfans, Netflix is probably the best suitor and could be the one and only shot at making a sequel happen. Just don’t' hold your breath waiting for it.