Rihanna felt 'blessed' to work with Luc Besson on Valerian

Rihanna was "blessed" to get the opportunity to work with director Luc Besson on upcoming sci-fi Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets.

The singer plays Bubble, a shape-shifting entertainer, in the space epic, but little was known about her character beyond posters and a brief glimpse in the movie's trailer.

She finally gave fans an introduction to her alter ego when she shared a short teaser featuring film footage and behind-the-scenes clips on Instagram on Sunday (09Jul17).

In the caption, she wrote, "I can't believe it's already that time!!! JULY is here and that means #VALERIAN is too!!!! My first time working with film icon @lucbesson ! So grateful and I can't wait for y'all to #MeetBUBBLE."

In the video Rihanna can be seen wearing a few of her different characters' looks, such as her performance outfit, which is reminiscent of Liza Minnelli's Cabaret costume, as well as in a glamorous blonde wig, pink sparkly dress and fur shawl. There are also brief behind-the-scenes clips of her wearing a large Egyptian-style hat and in a grey motion capture suit, which may have been used for when she's playing the blue alien version of Bubble, which is also teased in the upload.

"Luc reached out to my manager and I, I saw how much he cared about this project. Everybody who loves film is a fan of Luc Besson's work... He's creating this incredible world" she said in an interview featured in the footage. "When I saw my name on the poster for Valerian, it got real. It's so blessed to be having this experience."

The French director returned the praise, calling her "super sweet and obviously not scared of the camera".

Valerian, which stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, hits cinemas from 19 July.