Tomb Raider movie sequel gets new director as Ben Wheatley departs

The Tomb Raider movie sequel has a new director. Lovecraft Country creator Misha Green is set to helm and write the video game adaptation – with Free Fire and Rebecca director Ben Wheatley no longer involved in the project.

As per Deadline, Green will step into the director’s chair for her feature film debut. She has previously directed the eighth episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country, which starred Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors and aired in 2020.

One figure who is returning is Alicia Vikander as the titular Tomb Raider, Lara Croft. Beyond that, nothing is known in terms of story, casting, filming, or even a release window.

Fans of the game series will be pleased to know that Green has reacted to the big announcement by detailing her favorite console adventures.

On Twitter, she said her pick from the "classic" era of Tomb Raider games is 2006 title Tomb Raider: Legend. Among the rebooted trilogy involving a younger Lara Croft – and something the first movie pulled from heavily – it’s a toss-up between Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

As a possible hint, Green included a series of emojis, including the iconic T-Rex. Rest assured, the Tomb Raider sequel is in very good hands.

Ben Wheatley, meanwhile, is going on to direct action movie The Meg 2. Potentially titled The Meg 2: The Trench, Wheatley signed on to the Jason Statham sharktastic project in October 2020. The original Deadline report does not offer any further reason for Wheatley leaving Tomb Raider 2.

From Tomb Raider to Sonic, here’s our rundown of the best video game movies ever made.