Editing Luc Besson (section)

==Career==
Besson reportedly worked on the first drafts of ''[[Le Grand Bleu]]''  (''The Big Blue'') while still in his teens. Out of boredom, he started writing stories, including the background to what he later developed as ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' (1997), one of his most popular movies,<ref>[http://zakka.dk/euroscreenwriters/interviews/luc_besson_514.htm Interviews with European Film Directors – Luc Besson] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120524211045/http://zakka.dk/euroscreenwriters/interviews/luc_besson_514.htm |date=24 May 2012 }} EuroScreenwriters</ref> inspired by the [[Franco-Belgian comics|French comic books]] he read as a teenager.

At 18, Besson returned to his birthplace of Paris, where he took odd jobs in film to get a feel for the industry. He worked as an assistant to directors including [[Claude Faraldo]] and [[Patrick Grandperret]]. He directed three short films, a commissioned documentary, and several commercials.<ref>Elley, Derek. "Pop pic auteur", ''Variety'', 23 June 1997, v. 367 n. 8, pp. 44–45.</ref> He then moved to the United States for three years, but returned to Paris, where he formed his own production company. He first named it ''Les Films du Loup'', then changed it to ''Les Films du Dauphin''.

===Cinéma du look===
Critics such as Raphaël Bassan and Guy Austin cite Besson as a pivotal figure in the [[Cinema du look|Cinéma du look]] movement—a specific, highly visual style produced from the 1980s into the early 1990s. His early films ''[[Subway (film)|Subway]]'' (1985), ''[[The Big Blue]]'' (1988) and ''[[La Femme Nikita (film)|La Femme Nikita]]'' (1990) are all considered of this stylistic school.

The term was coined by critic [[Raphaël Bassan]] in a 1989 essay in ''La Revue du Cinema n° 449''.<ref>Translated into English: "The French neo-baroques directors: Beineix, Besson, Carax from Diva to le Grand Bleu" (pp. 11–23), in ''The Films of Luc Besson: Master of Spectacle'' (Under the direction of Susan Hayward and Phil Powrie), Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007. {{ISBN|0-7190-7028-7}}</ref> A partisan of the experimental cinema and friend of [[French New Wave|New Wave]] ("''[[nouvelle vague]]''") directors, Bassan grouped Besson with [[Jean-Jacques Beineix]] and [[Leos Carax]] as three directors who shared the style of ''"le look".'' These directors were later critically described as "favouring style over substance, and spectacle over narrative".<ref>Austin, Guy (1999) ''Contemporary French Cinema: An Introduction'', Manchester University Press, pp. 119–120, 126–128. {{ISBN|0-7190-4611-4}}</ref>

Besson, and most of the filmmakers so categorised, were uncomfortable with the label. He contrasted their work with France's [[French New Wave|New Wave]]. "[[Jean-Luc Godard]] and [[François Truffaut]] were rebelling against existing cultural values and used cinema as a means of expression simply because it was the most avant-garde medium at the time," said Besson in a 1985 interview in ''The New York Times''. "Today, the revolution is occurring entirely within the industry and is led by people who want to change the look of movies by making them better, more convincing and pleasurable to watch.

"Because it's becoming increasingly difficult to break into this field, we have developed a psychological armor and are ready to do anything in order to work," he added. "I think our ardor alone is going to shake the pillars of the moviemaking establishment."<ref>Tremblay, Anne (21 July 1985) [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/21/movies/france-breeds-a-new-crop-of-auteurs.html "France Breeds a New Crop of Auteurs"], ''The New York Times'',.</ref> 

===Popular success===
Many of Besson's films have achieved popular, if not always critical, success. Reviews were mixed for ''[[Le Grand Bleu|Le Grand Bleu (The Big Blue)]]''.  [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that the movie was "too long and initially awkward but is clearly the work of a visionary.''"''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |date=2000-07-28 |title=Besson's Restored 'Big Blue' Proves Mystical, Intriguing |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-28-ca-60400-story.html |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
<blockquote>"When the film had its premiere on opening night at the [[1988 Cannes Film Festival]], it was mercilessly drubbed, but no matter; it was a smash," observed the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'' in a 2007 profile of Besson. "Embraced by young people who kept returning to see it again, the movie sold 10&nbsp;million tickets and quickly became what the French call a 'film générationnel,' a defining moment in the culture."<ref name="iht.com"/></blockquote>

Besson's ''La Femme Nikita'' (1990) is one of his earliest action films, and Besson went on to write and produce numerous films in this genre, including the ''[[Taxi (1998 film)|Taxi]]'' series (1998–2007), the ''[[The Transporter|Transporter]]'' series (2002–2008), and the [[Jet Li]] films ''[[Kiss of the Dragon]]'' and ''[[Unleashed (2005 film)|Unleashed]]''. He also worked on ''[[Lockout (film)|Lockout]]'' (2012).<ref>Sobel, Ian (9 June 2011) [http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/looper-anonymous-and-lockout-do-the-release-date-shuffle/ "‘Looper’, ‘Anonymous’, And ‘Lockout’ Do The Release Date Shuffle'"], Screenjunkies.com.</ref>

[[File:Luc Besson Cannes cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Besson at the 2000 [[Cannes Film Festival]]]]From 2002 to 2005 Besson created the hugely successful [[Arthur series (Besson)|Arthur series]] of children's fantasy novels, which comprises ''Arthur and the Minimoys'', ''Arthur and the Forbidden City'', ''[[Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard]]'' and ''Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Wolf |first=Jaime |date=2007-05-20 |title=Luc Besson: The most Hollywood of French filmmakers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/arts/20iht-20besson.5796788.html |access-date=2024-08-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He directed ''[[Arthur and the Invisibles]]'' (2006), a feature film adaptation of the first two books of the collection, starring [[Madonna]] and [[Robert De Niro|Robert DeNiro]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |date=2007-01-12 |title=The Human and the Animated, Shrunk to Size |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/movies/12art.html |access-date=2024-08-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Combining [[Films with live action and animation|live action and animation]], it was released in the UK and the US, as well as in  France.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC - Movies - review - Arthur And The Invisibles |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/01/29/arthur_and_the_invisibles_2007_review.shtml |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

His English-language films ''[[Taken (film)|Taken]]'', ''[[Taken 2]]'', and ''[[Taken 3]]'' have been major successes; ''Taken 2'' became the largest-grossing export French film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hopewell |first=John |date=2010-01-15 |title='Taken' leads French film exports |url=https://variety.com/2010/biz/news/taken-leads-french-film-exports-1118013865/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Besson produced the promotional movie for the [[Paris 2012 Olympic bid]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Zinser|first=Lynn|date=2005-07-06|title=Costly Race for Olympic Bid Reaches Its Frenzied Finish (Published 2005)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/06/sports/othersports/costly-race-for-olympic-bid-reaches-its-frenzied-finish.html|access-date=2021-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Studio ambitions and failures===

{{main|EuropaCorp}}

In 2000, Besson superseded his production company by co-founding EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, with whom he had frequently worked since 1985. Le Pogam had then been Distribution Director with [[Gaumont Film Company|Gaumont]].

With EuropaCorp, Besson wanted to compete with the American major studios, but to maintain a stable of French directors and technicians producing in France, even if their films are most often in English with a foreign international star in the [[Leading actor|lead role]]. EuropaCorp went public in 2006 to finance, with the help of the State, its own studios at the [[Cité du Cinéma]]. It also sought financing and distribution partnerships in Japan and China.

By 2011, when he directed a biopic of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] called ''[[The Lady (2011 film)|The Lady]]'' (original title ''Dans la Lumiere''), Besson was spending most of his time at EuropaCorp as a writer and producer, rather than a director: he had 44 writing credits and 103 producer credits, but only 17 directing credits.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=The woman who embodies Burma |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-lady-2012 |website=RogerEbert.com |access-date=27 April 2025 |date=18 April 2012}}</ref>

The film was a departure from Besson's favoured directorial genres, and from his preference to write the films he directs; the screenwriter was [[Rebecca Frayn]]. Western critics singled out Besson's direction for negative comments; [[Roger Ebert]] said: "Perhaps, given his strengths in genre films, he should have chosen not to direct this one…"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=The woman who embodies Burma |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-lady-2012 |website=RogerEbert.com |access-date=27 April 2025 |date=18 April 2012}}</ref>

After several failures, Besson returned to creative form and to international success with ''[[Lucy (2014 film)|Lucy]]'' (2014), which became the world's most successful French feature film, earning $469 million worldwide, superseding the previous record holder ''[[The Intouchables]]'' ($426 million).<ref>{{cite web |title=Lucy (2014) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2872732/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=27 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Intouchables (2011) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1675434/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=27 April 2025}}</ref>

The blockbuster ''[[Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets]]'' (2017) had a budget of around $180 million, making it both the most expensive European and the most expensive [[independent film]] ever made.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Chris |title=Not a Marvel Movie: 'Valerian' Director on His Epic and Expensive Sci-Fi Adapted From a Graphic Novel |url=https://www.newsweek.com/2017/07/14/valerian-movie-weekend-review-spic-expensive-sci-fi-632026.html |website=Newsweek |access-date=27 April 2025 |date=5 July 2017}}</ref> But by the summer of 2017, Chinese critics were snubbing it and the investment seemed impossible to make profitable.

Besson's failure was repeated with his next film, ''[[Anna (2019 feature film)|Anna]]'' (2019), placing his company in near bankruptcy and forcing him to sell it to a creditor and then close the free, no-degree-required [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89cole_de_la_Cit%C3%A9 school for screenwriters and directors] that he had founded in 2012.

===Recent work===

Besson's film ''June & John'' (2025) was shot guerrilla-style in Los Angeles in 2020, during the [[Covid-19 pandemic]]. Building on a shelved pre-pandemic project Besson had been developing for a Chinese smartphone brand, the film was shot using only smartphones and a 12-person crew, and stars then-unknown actors Matilda Price and Luke Stanton Eddy. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Goodfellow |first1=Melanie |title=Luc Besson Talks Risk Averse Studios & Joy Of Making L.A. & Smartphone-Shot Romance ‘June & John’: “It Was Just Two Actors & A Director” |url=https://deadline.com/2025/04/luc-besson-joy-making-smartphone-romance-june-and-john-1236374777/ |access-date=27 April 2025 |publisher=Deadline |date=23 April 2025}}</ref>

He told ''Deadline'': "It was very joyous. It was really two actors and a director because of the lockdown … It felt good to be uniquely creative without the pressure of money."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goodfellow |first1=Melanie |title=Luc Besson Talks Risk Averse Studios & Joy Of Making L.A. & Smartphone-Shot Romance ‘June & John’: “It Was Just Two Actors & A Director” |url=https://deadline.com/2025/04/luc-besson-joy-making-smartphone-romance-june-and-john-1236374777/ |access-date=27 April 2025 |publisher=Deadline |date=23 April 2025}}</ref>

In 2022, Besson experimented with another kind of filmmaking when he shot ''[[Dogman (2023 film)|Dogman]]'' (2023) in a [[virtual production]] facility in France, as well as on location in New Jersey.

''Dogman'' was selected to compete for the [[Golden Lion]] at the [[80th Venice International Film Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/07/venice-film-festival-lineup-2023-full-list-1235447144/|title=Venice Film Festival Lineup: Mann, Lanthimos, Fincher, DuVernay, Cooper, Besson, Coppola, Hamaguchi In Competition; Polanski, Allen, Anderson, Linklater Out Of Competition – Full List|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|date=25 July 2023|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/luc-besson-makes-emotional-return-venice-with-dogman-movie-2023-08-31/|title=Luc Besson makes emotional return to Venice with 'Dogman' movie|work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> where it had its world premiere on 31 August 2023.<ref name="labiennale">{{cite web|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2023/venezia-80-competition/dogman|title=Dogman|publisher=Venice Biennale|date=19 July 2023 |access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref> It was released in French cinemas on 27 September 2023 by Apollo Films Distribution and [[EuropaCorp Distribution]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Goodfellow|first=Melanie|date=10 July 2023|url=https://deadline.com/video/dogman-trailer-caleb-landry-jones-luc-besson/|title='Dogman' Trailer: Caleb Landry Jones Captivates As Bruised Hero In Luc Besson's Comeback Film|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=11 July 2023}}</ref> and had mixed reviews: at [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 59% based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10;<ref>{{Cite web |title=DogMan |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dogman_2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=25 October 2024}}</ref> while [[Metacritic]], which uses a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]], assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100 from 23 critics.<ref>{{cite web |title=DogMan |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dogman-2023 |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=6 April 2024}}</ref>

In summer 2024, Besson directed ''[[Dracula: A Love Tale]],'' an adaptation of ''[[Dracula]]'' starring [[Caleb Landry Jones]] and featuring [[Christoph Waltz|Christophe Waltz]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodfellow |first=Melanie |date=2024-07-17 |title=Luc Besson Gives A Tour Of His 'Dracula: A Love Tale' Set, Talks New Muse Caleb Landry Jones & Rewatching His "Mad" Movie 'Valerian'; First Look Revealed |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/luc-besson-dracula-love-tale-interview-set-caleb-landry-jones-valerian-first-image-1236008533/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> As of April 2025, the film is still in post-production, but is set for a July 2025 release.

In 2025 Besson was announced as the director of ''The Last Man'', a post-apocalyptic science fiction film starring rapper [[Snoop Dogg]].

===Regular collaborators===

In the early 1980s, Besson met [[Éric Serra]] and asked him to compose the score for his first short film, ''L'Avant dernier''. He subsequently had Serra compose for other films.

French actor [[Jean Reno]] has appeared in several films by Besson, including {{Lang|fr|[[Le dernier combat]]}} (1983),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/22/movies/dernier-combat-french-science-fiction.html|title='Dernier Combat,' French Science Fiction|last=Maslin|first=Janet|date=1984-06-22|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-24|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''[[Subway (film)|Subway]]'' (1985),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/18/movies/film-review-he-may-be-a-killer-but-he-s-such-a-sweetie.html|title=Film Review; He May Be a Killer, But He's Such a Sweetie|last=Maslin|first=Janet|date=1994-11-18|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-24|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/movies/scarlett-johansson-gets-superpowers-in-luc-besson8217s-8216lucy8217.html|title=Scarlett Johansson Gets Superpowers in Luc Besson's 'Lucy'|last=Roston|first=Tom|date=2014-07-18|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-24|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''[[The Big Blue]]'' (1988),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2000-07-12/140512/|title=Movie Review: The Big Blue|website=The Austin Chronicle|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-24}}</ref> ''[[La Femme Nikita (film)|La Femme Nikita]]'' (1990), and ''[[Léon: The Professional]]'' (1994).<ref name=":0" />

Besson directed and co-wrote the screenplay of his science fiction thriller ''The Fifth Element'' (1997) with American screenwriter [[Robert Mark Kamen]].<ref name="Luc Besson 2000">"Luc Besson", ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 2: Directors'', 4th ed. St. James Press, 2000.</ref>

He later collaborated with Kamen on the ''[[The Transporter|Transporter]]'' action series (2002–2008), and they co-wrote ''[[Taken (film)|Taken]]'' (2008), ''[[Taken 2]]'' (2012), and ''[[Taken 3]]'' (2014), which all starred [[Liam Neeson]].

Besson described Canadian actor [[Caleb Landry Jones]] as his "new muse" after working with him on ''DogMan'': "We got on so well on ''DogMan'' and since then I’ve only had one wish and that was to make another film with him. He’s crazily talented. It’s something I haven’t seen since Gary Oldman."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodfellow |first=Melanie |date=2024-07-17 |title=Luc Besson Gives A Tour Of His 'Dracula: A Love Tale' Set, Talks New Muse Caleb Landry Jones & Rewatching His "Mad" Movie 'Valerian'; First Look Revealed |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/luc-besson-dracula-love-tale-interview-set-caleb-landry-jones-valerian-first-image-1236008533/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> 

===Critical evaluation===
Besson has been described as "the most Hollywood of French filmmakers".<ref>Tobias, Scott (20 May 2007). [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/movies/20wolf.html?_r=1&ref=lucbesson "Le Cinéma du Blockbuster"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', Retrieved 13 March 2011.</ref> Scott Tobias wrote that his "slick, commercial" action movies were "so interchangeable—drugs, sleaze, chuckling [[supervillain]]y, and [[Hong Kong cinema|Hong Kong]]-style effects—that each new project probably starts with [[Wite-Out|white-out]] on the title page."<ref>Tobias, Scott (5 May 2006). [https://www.avclub.com/district-b13-1798201763 "District B13"], ''[[The Onion]]''. Retrieved 13 March 2011.</ref>

American film critic [[Armond White]] has praised Besson, whom he ranks as one of the best film producers, for refining and revolutionizing action film. He wrote that Besson dramatizes the struggle of his characters "as a conscientious resistance to human degradation".<ref>White, Armond (28 January 2009). [http://www.nypress.com/article-19329-we-need-new-heroes-taken.html#commAjax "We Need New Heroes: Taken"], ''[[New York Press]]''. Retrieved 1 February 2009.</ref>

In 2012, film critic Eric Kohn wrote in [[IndieWire|''Indiewire'']]: "Luc Besson’s filmography has been spotty for years, littered with equal amounts of sensationalistic pop art and flashy duds, a tendency that extends beyond his directing credits."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kohn |first=Eric |date=2012-04-10 |title='Lockout' Illustrates the Diminishing Returns of Luc Besson |url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/lockout-illustrates-the-diminishing-returns-of-luc-besson-48246/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref>