Film with Besson still on

This is certainly interesting.  Angelina didn't sound all that committed when Anthony Breznican asked her about the Besson project last March: 

What’s next for you as an actor? You were in talks to do a Luc Besson film?
I do hope to work with Luc one day, but we haven’t figured out what that is. The next thing I’m doing is Maleficent for Disney. I start it in June, and it’s a really great script. I’m having a lot of fun.

In the absence of confirmation from sources close to Angelina or Universal I am still skeptical at least to the timing of production supposedly set for Spring 2013.  Notes to Europacorp's financial statements for the fiscal year 2011/2012 released yesterday did not include any mention of Angelina.  Previous notes merely confirmed that they were in talks with her reps and Universal.  But Universal's purchase of 80% of worldwide distribution rights seemed to suggest that they believed Angelina would be involved.  The French online site PurePeople writes that the action-thriller may start filming after Angelina finishes Salt 2.  The film will reportedly have a budget of over Euros 70M.

While he hasn't directed an action thriller since The Fifth Element over a decade ago, Besson has produced and/or written close to a dozen B-grade thrillers like Taken, Colombiana and Lockout.  All were decently entertaining in a disposable way.  But his latest project now in preproduction, the dark comedy Malavita, sounds promising and has a great cast.   I hope Besson has regained the groove that got him kudos for Leon: The Professonal and La Femme Nikita.

Angelina Jolie chez Luc Besson : Le mystérieux thriller repoussé mais confirmé

News publiée Aujourd'hui, Le Vendredi 29 Juin 2012 à 17:10 

Overdose de stars hollywoodiennes pourLuc Besson. Après Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer et Tommy Lee Jones dans le film de gangsters Malavita, son mystérieux thriller avec Angelina Jolie est confirmé.

Annoncé en décembre et prévu pour le mois d'avril, ce "thriller basé sur des éléments scientifiques" semblait mal parti avec le départ de l'actrice américaine sur le blockbuster Maleficent. Néanmoins, Variety affirme que Luc Besson filmera bien Angelina Jolie au printemps 2013, possiblement après qu'elle aura bouclé Salt 2 - qui reste à confirmer.

Alors que son école de cinéma s'annonce comme un événement, Luc Besson a annoncé qu'il réalisera aussi une adaptation de la célèbre bande dessinée Valérian et Laureline, de Mézières et Christin. Ce monument de la science-fiction raconte les aventures de deux agents du Service Spatio-Temporel censés préserver les intérêts de l'empire terrien, qui détruisent par accident leur futur. Les fans se rappelleront d'ailleurs que le dessinateur Jean-Claude Mézières avait collaboré aux décors du Cinquième Élément (1997). Avant cela, le réalisateur français tournera Malevita en Bretagne cet été.

Posted: Fri., Jun. 29, 2012, 3:57am PT

Luc Besson to write-direct 'Valerian' adaptation

Sci-fi actioner adapts French comicbook series

By Elsa Keslassy, John Hopewell

Besson

PARIS -- Luc Besson will write and direct an English-language live-action adaptation of the Gallic comicbook series "Valerian." The graphic novel turns on the adventures of space and time travelling agent Valerian and femme sidekick Laureline.
The project -- with no announced title -- was revealed by EuropaCorp CEO Christophe Lambert in Paris Friday.
The "Valerian" makeover is Besson's third directorial gig confirmed for the immediate future.
Angelina Jolie is still committed to star in a Besson-helmed action thriller, to roll first quarter of 2013 at the EuropaCorp co-owned Cite du Cinema, Lambert said.
Besson's next movie as a director remains, however, the darkly comedic crime thriller "Malavita," which shoots August, starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones. Relativity Media co-produces and will release "Malavita" in the U.S. next year.
All three movies are set up at the Besson-owned EuropaCorp.

Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com 

Luc Besson & Angelina Jolie's Thriller To Shoot In Early 2013; Director Lines Up 'Valerian'

News by Kevin Jagernauth | June 29, 2012 9:20 AM
  

It may seem like a while ago, but at the tail end of 2011, heat started to build up around a movie featuring the blockbuster pairing of star Angelina Joile and director Luc Besson. Universal Pictures snapped up 80% of the worldwide distribution rights to the movie and then...Jolie decided to make "Maleficent" next. But not to worry, this project is still very much on schedule and it looks like it will be going up next for both Jolie and Besson. Variety reveals that the plan is now for the untitled thriller -- details of which are still under wraps -- to shoot in early 2013, once Jolie is done with her Disney pic and Besson wraps up his upcoming comic gangster pic "Malavita." But in what seems like a sudden burst of activity from Besson (didn't he sort of retire from directing a while ago?) he's lining up an adaptation of the french comic "Valerian" for the big screen. He will write and direct this story about a time and space jumping duo -- Valerian and his female sidekick Laureline -- as they get into space adventures something something nothingwilleverbeatthefifthelement. So yes, that's three movies Besson now has on his plate.
It seems the director is newly invigorated again which is nice to see, and as his one swing at the bat at Oscar bait -- "The Lady" -- didn't quite pan out, we're not shocked he's headed firmly back into his action wheelhouse. But we'll be curious to see if these gigs can help recapture some of that magic that made him a name back in the day.

Luc Besson Prepping A Doctor Who-Meets-James Bond Sci-Fi Adventure   

published: 2012-06-29 09:19:52 Author: Kristy Puchko

Earlier this month, dizzy from the demented delights of Ridley Scott's Prometheus, we here at Cinema Blend speculated on which directors could do well by revisiting the themes and worlds of their earlier works. My pick was Luc Besson—specifically wishing he'd go back to sci-fi, where he spun the fantastic tale The Fifth Element. And it seems dreams do come true as Variety reports Besson is in the works on a sci-fi adventure about a space and time traveling special agent.

The presently untitled thriller is based on the Gallic comic book series Valerian, so it's not a direct expansion on the world of The Fifth Element, but from a look at the artwork of the books—seen above—it's not far off. The comics center on the titular hero who is described by Booklist as "A little bit Dr. [sic] Who, a little bit James Bond." With the help of his sassy sidekick, Laureline, Valerian takes on missions from the Galaxity organization, traveling through space and time in incredible adventures. So it sounds like a perfect fit for Besson's imaginative brand of storytelling.

It's unknown at this time what arc of Valerian Besson is focusing on, but we do know he will write and direct the adaptation, and that it will be in English and live-action. While that project develops, Besson is prepping for the August shoot of his next feature, a crime-thriller called Malavita, which stars Robert De Niro as an American gangster attempting to relocate his family to Normandy under the Witness Relocation Program. Following that, Besson will team up with Hollywood's go-to leading lady for all things action, Angelina Jolie, for an untitled action-thriller that's set to shoot early next year.

Angelina Jolie to Work Next on an Untitled Thriller With Director Luc Besson?

Posted 06.30.12 by Ryan While we already have had our first look at Angelina Jolie's next role in Disney's upcoming Maleficent, the actress has been slowly gathering several possible projects to follow. It looks like the actress will be shooting an untitled thriller with director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita, The Professional).
The thriller was originally supposed to shoot in April, but Jolie's attachment to Maleficent superseded the untitled movie. Described as a "dramatic thriller with action," few details about the movie have been revealed, though Universal Pictures liked it enough to pick up the distribution rights. According to Variety, the thriller is set to start shooting in early 2013, which, unless Jolie fits something else into her schedule, would make the movie her next project.
Jolie is also attached to the biopic Gertrude Bell with director Ridley Scott as well as a sequel to 2010's Salt.
Besson, meanwhile, will shoot the comedic crime thriller Malavita next with Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones and, as reported in the same Variety piece, is also set to write and direct an English-language, live-action adaptation of the sci-fi comic book series Valerian created by Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières in 1967. The multi-volume graphic novel followed the adventures of space and time traveling agent Valerina and his red-haired sidekick Laureline. Like the Jolie thriller, the adaptation of Valerian has no title yet.

EUROPACORP : Luc Besson à l’offensive

Le patron du studio de production, Christophe Lambert, organisait ce matin une réunion d’information financière. En réponse à une question d’Investir, il s’est montré rassurant quant au projet de renforcement des fonds propres. Il ne s’agit « absolument pas d’une nécessité ou d’une urgence, et l’ampleur de l’opération sera très limitée », a-t-il assuré. L’objectif est principalement de financer le développement d’une activité d’exploitation de multiplexes, sous la marque Europacorp Live. Le projet dans le centre commercial Aeroville de Roissy est estimé entre 9 et 12 millions d’euros, celui de Marseille coûtera 6 à 8 millions. Le groupe envisage aussi l’acquisition de producteurs de séries TV, une activité aux revenus moins aléatoires que ceux des long-métrages qui pourrait à terme apporter 30% du chiffre d’affaires.
A l’issue de l’exercice clos fin mars 2012, finalement bénéficiaire grâce notamment au succès de Colombiana aux Etats-Unis, la dette nette se limite à 51 millions d’euros, soit la moitié des fonds propres, et reste inférieure à 1,7 fois l’excédent brut d’exploitation. Les « covenants » bancaires sont ainsi respectés. La mini major créée en 1999 par Luc Besson (qui contrôle 62% du capital) va pouvoir revenir à son rythme de croisière, avec 100 millions d’euros d’investissements en production par an, après le trou d’air de l’exercice 2011-2012 (52 millions).
Luc Besson lui-même est à l’offensive. Après Malavita (avec Robert de Niro), qui sortira cet été, il prépare un film à gros budget (plus de 70 millions d’euros) avec Angelina Jolie pour une sortie au premier trimestre 2013, puis se lancera dans l’adaptation au cinéma de la célèbre BD de science-fiction « Valerian, agent spatio-temporel ». Par sécurité, Europacorp veille désormais à ce que les investissements ne soient engagés qu’une fois les films pré-vendus à 80% (aux distributeurs, aux chaînes de TV,…).
L’exercice 2012-2013 sera marqué par la sortie de deux blockbusters, Malatavia puis surtout Taken 2 début octobre 2012. Pour Taken 2, la Fox, distributeur américain, a garanti des royalties de 27 millions d’euros minimum (dont 20 millions déjà versés mais non comptabilisés fin mars). Le premier opus, sorti en février 2008, a été un très grand succès, avec un box office mondial de 227 millions de dollars.
Malgré le rebond, la décote est encore de 58% par rapport aux fonds propres (102,4 millions d’euros fin mars). A l’actif, le portefeuille de films est inscrit pour 94 millions d’euros (après les amortissements accélérés de l’exercice 2010/2011), ce qui est prudent par rapport à l’estimation du cabinet Accuracy (119 millions). De plus, si l’on se projette à la fin de l’exercice en cours, la valeur d’entreprise (capitalisation, plus une dette nette de 80 millions) s’élève à 9,9 fois le bénéfice opérationnel, estimé en hausse de 80%, à 12,3 millions d’euros. Un ratio modeste, car la marge opérationnelle ainsi estimée à 6,5% sera encore inférieure à son niveau normatif de 10%. Le titre reste toutefois risqué, le succès ou l’échec des films étant très imprévisible.
Achat spéculatif confirmé, avec un objectif de 3 euros.


Previous reports:

Universal Makes Deal On Luc Besson-Angelina Jolie Sci-Fi Film

By MIKE FLEMING | Monday December 12, 2011 @ 4:11pm EST

Angelina Jolie To Star In Luc Besson-Directed Dramatic Thriller Film
Universal Pictures has acquired 80% of distribution rights — including in the U.S. — to the large-scale dramatic thriller that Luc Besson will direct with Angelina Jolie in the starring role. Besson currently has The Lady in the Oscar mix, but this film sounds like a closer cousin to his earlier efforts like The Professional, La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element. The script, rooted in true scientific elements, was written by Besson, who will also direct. His EuropaCorp developed the project and will co-finance, and production is set to begin in April 2012 mostly in EuropaCorp’s new production facilities in Paris. Virginie Besson Silla will oversee the project on behalf of EuropaCorp.
The film would be Jolie’s next as an actress, and it would come before she teams with director Ridley Scott on a historical epic about Gertrude Bell that The Constant Gardener scribe Jeffrey Caine is currently rewriting. Jolie is also moving quickly on Maleficent, the Linda Woolverton-scripted revisionist take on the Sleeping Beauty tale for Walt Disney Pictures, and she is getting closer to playing medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in the Fox 2000 drama based on the Patricia Cornwell novel series.
Jolie is getting ready for the release In The Land Of Blood And Honey, her feature directorial and screenwriting debut, which is being released by FilmDistrict in the heat of the Oscar race. She is repped by Media Talent Group chief Geyer Kosinski and Robert Offer; Besson and EuropaCorp by EuropaCorp and Besson are represented by Peter Nichols of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman.

Europacorp : Angelina Jolie, Luc Besson et les autres...

Le 15/02/2012 à 07h28  
(Boursier.com) -- EuropaCorp a confirmé l'existence de discussions avec le studio américain Universal et les représentants de l'actrice américaine Angelina Jolie, en vue de produire le prochain film d'action en langue anglaise réalisé par Luc Besson.
Europacorp a fait cette annonce dans le cadre de la publication de son activité du troisième trimestre, qui a fait ressortir un chiffre d'affaires consolidé de 22,7 ME (-58,2%). La période a été marquée par la sortie en salles et à l'international des films "Un Monstre à Paris", "La Source des Femmes" et "The Lady".
Le chiffre d'affaires Salles France s'élève à 6,6 ME, les Ventes Internationales s'établissent à 6,6 ME, et l'activité Vidéo France réalise un chiffre d'affaires de 3,6 ME. Les ventes Télévision France totalisent un chiffre d'affaires de 3 ME et l'activité Séries TV demeure très peu soutenue sur le trimestre (0,2 ME). Les Autres activités (1 ME) correspondent principalement aux revenus générés par l'activité Musique.