海角大神

Singer Rihanna will reportedly star in the upcoming science fiction film, 鈥淰al茅rian and the City of a Thousand Planets.鈥�

She has previously appeared in such films as 鈥淏attleship鈥� and the animated movie, 鈥淗ome.鈥�

鈥淰al茅rian鈥� is adapted from a graphic novel by Jean-Claude Mezieres and Pierre Christin. 鈥淭he Amazing Spider-Man 2鈥� actor Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne of 鈥淧an,鈥� and actor Clive Owen are all set to star in the movie as well.

Besson has directed films of various genres, including the 1994 crime movie, 鈥淭he Professional,鈥� and the 2013 mafia movie, 鈥淭he Family.鈥� But Besson has also directed several high-profile science fiction movies, including last year鈥檚 movie, 鈥淟ucy,鈥� and the 1997 film, 鈥淭he Fifth Element,鈥� making his one of the most familiar director鈥檚 names to sci-fi fans today.聽

While 鈥淰al茅rian鈥� is an adaptation of a graphic novel, 鈥淟ucy鈥� and his movie 鈥淭he Fifth Element鈥� are original stories. Many recent high-profile science fiction projects aren鈥檛 based on original ideas. While the world of 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� was new back in 1977, the continuing film series are, of course, sequels and based on the characters already written by others. This year鈥檚 hit, 鈥淭he Martian,鈥� was based on a novel, as was the 2014 movie, 鈥淓dge of Tomorrow.鈥澛�

Creating a new science fiction movie based on an original story is not a sure proposition. In 2014, director Christopher Nolan had a hit with the movie, 鈥淚nterstellar,鈥� and Alfonso Cuaron鈥檚 2013 movie, 鈥淕ravity,鈥� also scored.

But this year鈥檚 movie, 鈥淛upiter Ascending,鈥� which was written by the Wachowski siblings of the acclaimed movie, 鈥淭he Matrix,鈥� was panned by critics and did not do well at the box office. 2013鈥檚 鈥淓lysium鈥� and this year鈥檚 鈥淐happie,鈥� the newest movies dreamed up by Neill Blomkamp of the well-received science fiction movie, 鈥淒istrict 9,鈥� also did not meet with good reviews or positive box office results.聽

What would make an original science fiction movie good today?

Prior to its release, 鈥淛upiter,鈥� to examine one film, attracted attention because it鈥檚 a big-budget movie based on an original story, a rarity in general in Hollywood today. As with any movie, an original science fiction movie would need an intriguing storyline. The storyline in particular of 鈥淛upiter鈥� was criticized by critics, with Manohla Dargis of writing that 鈥渢he mind reels from some of the mildewy storytelling鈥� the tale is at once baroque and corny鈥� and the 鈥� Kenneth Turan writing that 鈥渢he plot details are more than usually derivative.鈥�

Writing an original story that catches audience members鈥� imagination is easier said than done. But one of the most acclaimed science fiction movies of recent years was Pixar鈥檚 animated film, 鈥淲ALL-E,鈥� which centers on a robot living many years in our future during a time when humans have abandoned Earth. Critics praised its story and the film was nominated for the best original screenplay Oscar, a category more often populated by live-action movies.聽

Focusing on story may be the key to success for future science fiction screenwriters, whether it鈥檚 Besson, turning again to an original story, or another scribe.