Variety has the exclusive trailer for Luc Besson’s “June & John” which is hitting the EFM Berlin Market this week. This is certainly an unexpected development, but one look at the colors and framing, and I’m kinda sold on this one.
Shot on an iPhone during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, Besson’s “secret” film is being tagged as a “love story for the ages,” starring newcomers Matilda Price and Luke Stanton Eddy. According to Variety’s sources, several distributors have already committed to releasing the film in spring 2025.
The plot — which had remained under wraps until now — follows John, a young man stuck in a monotonous routine, whose life is transformed when he meets June, a vibrant and fearless woman. Together, they embark on a whirlwind adventure filled with passion, risk, and self-discovery — a race against the clock (and the law) that injects color, magic, and love into their lives.
This is being promoted as Besson’s return to his roots; slick, violent and stylized filmmaking. One look at the trailer and you notice hints from Besson’s past classics, including “La Femme Nikita.” The budget for this one couldn’t have been much.
Besson seems to have come out of his #MeToo moment in France unscathed. In 2023, he was exonerated in court twice, including in June of that year where he was cleared of all charges, following a ruling by the Court of Cassation, the highest judicial court in France. He’s soon supposed to start production on “The Last Man.” a sci-fi film starring Snoop Dogg.
In the meantime, Besson’s “Dracula,” starring Caleb Landry Jones, has already set up a June 2025 release in France. No word yet on when we’ll be able to see it in the U.S. but if the treatment Besson got with his last film (“Dogman”) is any indication, then we’ll be waiting a while.
Besson is known for his successful streak of ‘80s and ‘90s films such as “The Big Blue,” "La Femme Nikita," "Leon: The Professional," and "The Fifth Element.” He also wrote 2008’s highly influential “Taken,” which kickstarted a slew of one-man-killing-machine ripoffs such as “John Wick.”