Yesterday, the first photos from French director Luc Besson's latest project, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, debuted online. Based on the cult-classic comic book Valérian et Laureline, the intergalactic adventure film stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as crime-solving space agents.
Besson was tight-lipped in an interview with Entertainment Weekly when it came to divulging anything about the plot.
But there is something that we can tell about the movie right off the bat: Delevingne's breasts look suspiciously pumped up in her space suit. So if there's anything revolutionary happening in this film, we're guessing it won't have much to do with a refreshingly progressive representation of women's bodies in popular entertainment.
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EW shared five images from the upcoming film, including three of the 23-year-old actress. In the first one, she's posed with two co-stars, back to back. Maybe it's the stitching on her costume, but her breasts definitely seem to be the point of focus in the picture. In another photo, they strain, barely contained, against a white bikini top. And — before anyone starts wondering if maybe these are the true size of Cara Delevingne's breasts — sure, you've got me there. I can't quote you the exact dimensions of her boobs, which is a good thing, because that's none of my damn business. But if you're skeptical that they've been doctored, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that this would be far from the first time that an actress' breasts have been bumped up a couple sizes to sell us on a movie. Keira Knightley has been through this particular Photoshop process before (and, in fact, has since demanded a no-digital-augmentation clause in future contracts). Sarah Michelle Gellar looked to have received the same treatment way back on the Cruel Intentions movie poster. And even Angelina Jolie is rumored to have been physically enhanced in movies like 2007's Beowulf. All of which is to say: The decision to seemingly pump up Cara Delevingne's chest isn't especially surprising. But it is highly disappointing: For a movie that's about the future, so far Valerian seems pretty stuck in the past when it comes to the representation of the female form. Her character, Laureline, is a crime-fighting badass. But all these photos highlight are the fact that she can really fill out a space suit.
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