The Tomb Raider movie sequel, starring Alicia Vikander as video game icon Lara Croft, is no more. Plans for a follow-up to the 2018 reboot – set to be directed by Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green after Free Fire's Ben Wheatley left the position – were not greenlit by MGM before its May deadline. According to The Wrap, that means the studio has now lost the movie rights to Tomb Raider – with Alicia Vikander also departing the property.
A "complete reboot" is now reportedly planned, with multiple movie studios set to engage in a frenzied bidding war for the popular franchise.
Tomb Raider began life on PlayStation in 1996, spawning multiple sequels and spinoffs, before first being adapted for the big screen in a 2001 actioner starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. A 2003 sequel, The Cradle of Life, was also released to a mixed reception.
No director, writers, or actors have been attached to any potential reboot. Whoever wins the rights to Tomb Raider, though, will be buoyed by the recent success of video game adaptations: Uncharted (starring Tom Holland) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 both grossed over $400m at the worldwide box office. A separate Tomb Raider animated Netflix series, starring Hayley Atwell, is still in the works.
Tomb Raider’s video game future is also in similarly uncharted, if promising, territory. Embracer Group has recently purchased the Tomb Raider IP, among others, in a $300m deal that also sees developers Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montreal joining the company.
Discover what else made the successful leap from consoles to the cinema screen with our ranking of the best video game movies ever made.
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