But the question remains: Why hasn't there ever been a proper sequel to the film?

In 1998, during the nascent days of the Internet rumor mill, it was reported that Bruce Willis had signed on for the follow-up and Mira Sorvino was also interested in a role. (Sorvino wound up in his 2001 martial arts thriller "Kiss of the Dragon," which Besson co-wrote and produced.) For his part, Besson was hard at work on his follow up (with "Fifth Element" co-star and then-wife Milla Jovovich). In a 2011 interview with Moviefone, Besson said he had no interest in doing a sequel and in a Reddit AMA in 2013 he said that any talk of a sequel was just a "rumor."

I talked to him that same year about a potential "Fifth Element" follow-up and he told me: "'The Fifth Element' ... I was a little bit frustrated because I made the film right before all the new effects arrived. So when I did the film it was all blue screen, six hours, dots on the wall, takes forever to do one shot. Now, basically, you put the camera on your shoulder and then you run and then you add a couple of dinosaurs and spaceships. And I was so frustrated because it was not so easy at the time. So I always think to myself that I would avenge one day and use all the new tools to do a sci-fi film for sure."

When I pressed him as to whether this sci-fi film would have any direct connection to "The Fifth Element," he demurred: "I don't know if it would be directly connected but it would be the same area and the same genre. So for me it would be connected even if the stories had nothing to do with each other." (Also worth noting: Besson and the movie's star, Milla Jovovich, divorced in 1999.)

Unlike "The Fifth Element," which was merely inspired by French comic books, "Valerian" is actually based off of one. This is that follow-up that Besson was hinting about in those Reddit AMAs and the film he was talking about with me. What I mean to say is that maybe the "Fifth Element" sequel is actually happening right now and being released as "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." Even if it doesn't have a direct connection, it's sort of that spiritual successor Besson mentioned. There's certain strands of the same DNA there.

So, even if we never really-for-real got "Mr. Shadow" (or whatever it might have been called), at least we get this. And, judging by the trailers, it's going to be awesome.