Over lunch one day at work, Cassius John-Adams, a computer programmer for a Canadian TV network, was moaning to his co-workers that things aren't as good as they used to be. "We got on to how everything, from video games to science-fiction films, was better in the late 90s and early 00s when we were all much younger," explains the 45-year-old from his house in Toronto. Someone mentioned The Fifth Element, Luc Besson's wildly inventive 1997 sci-fi film. John-Adams brought up Crazy Taxi, Sega's cartoonishly energetic driving game. And then, "I was like: 'Man, I wish there was a mix between the two.' Everyone around the table went, 'Yeah, that would be the perfect mix.'" It was the spark for one of the great passion projects in recent video-gaming history.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets flopped. At least that's the way things look after the opening weekend of the Luc Besson-written and -directed sci-fi film: It headed into Monday with just about $17 million in receipts and a splattery 54 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (and a better audience score of 60 percent, to be fair). Now, I spent bits and pieces of the last two years working on a print feature about Besson and Valerian. But it wasn't exactly about the film itself; by the time I had put my story to bed, I'd only seen about 20 minutes of the actual movie. This is a not-so-secret secret of print magazine features: The lead time of monthly magazines like WIRED means that the journalism is often done before the film.

We'll take a look back at some of the big stories from earlier this week, plus key updates like NASA's tips for viewing a solar eclipse. Getting the weekend started early.DC security robot says everything is fine, throws itself into pool Don't read too much into this, but a security robot face-planted into an indoor fountain inside of a Washington, DC office building. Important information.NASA doesn't want you to go blind during the solar eclipse Please, for the love of god (and your eyesight), do not try to make your own eclipse glasses. Buy a pair, and make sure they're less than three years old with lenses that are in good shape. The much-celebrated full solar eclipse is just one month away for those in the continental United States, and NASA really does not want you to go blind when it finally happens.

Rihanna portrays the role of Bubble in Luc Besson's upcoming sci-fi film "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." And to give fans a better look at her unique character, the singer recently shared a behind-the-scenes teaser for the movie on Instagram. The sneak peek reveals that Bubble is a burlesque dancer who can change her physical appearance at will. While she has the ability to shape-shift into human form, her real figure is actually an amorphous blue blob. Interestingly, Rihanna is seen in a motion capture suit in the preview clip, so it means that the "Work" hitmaker was also the one bringing her character to life even when she's not in human form.

Lucy gave Luc Besson's career a little bit of a boost. It's not like the producer of countless action movies needed the help, but Lucy was the director's biggest hit in years, and it most likely afforded him the opportunity to make Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. The pricey sci-fi film is currently shooting, but once that picture wraps, Besson will be turn his attention to Artificial Intelligence, an original show from TNT and EuroCorp TV USA. EuroCorp TV USA has sold Artificial Intelligence to TNT. Besson will co-write, co-create, and executive produce the series with Bill Wheeler, who worked on the upcoming Ghost in the Shell remake.