Luc Besson has announced that Clive Owen is joining his sci-fi epic Valerian.

The French comic Valerian is getting the big-screen adaptation treatment, with Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Lucy) at the helm.

Dane DeHaan is set to play the titular character, with Cara Delevingne as his partner Laureline.

And today, Luc Besson announced on Twitter that Clive Owen (King Arthur, Children of Men) is set to play Commander Arün Filitt.

Originally Valérian et Laureline, the comic was created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières in the 1960s.

Valerian is a time-traveling agent, who is sent to investigate a galactic empire with his new partner Laureline. The pair — much like in BBC’s contemporary Doctor Who — traverse through time and space, mixing the classic space opera formula with intriguing time travel plots.

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While the Valerian of the comics is kind-hearted, brave and subserviant to his superiors, Laureline is intelligent, independent and wilful, and is generally considered one of science fiction’s most notable heroines.

Clive Owen’s character Filitt is not a major character in the original graphic novel, but he is likely one of Valerian’s superiors, whom Valerian and Laureline will have to report back to while on their inter-dimensional journey.

Valerian will begin shooting early next year, with a planned release date of July 21, 2017.