‘Tomb Raider’ Rights Up For Grabs After MGM Exit; Alicia Vikander Role To Be Recast

Justin Kroll and Patrick Hipes
·1 min read
6
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

MGM no longer holds rights to produce the Tomb Raider film franchise, which has spawned three movies with the most recent in 2018 starring Alicia Vikander. The actress is no longer attached to a planned sequel, and Graham King’s GK Films is now shopping rights and seeking a new lead, Deadline has confirmed.

A bidding battle is underway, we hear. Stay tuned for who comes out on top.

Angelina Jolie kicked off the film series in 2001 with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, spawning a sequel two years later, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, both via Paramount Vikander took on the role for the Roar Uthaug-directed reboot which grossed $274.7 million at the worldwide box office for distributor Warner Bros.

A sequel to that movie had been in the works since 2019 with Vikander set to return. Ben Wheatley and more recently Lovecraft Country‘s Misha Green had been attached to direct, the latter as late as last year. MGM even had a release date: March 2021, smack in the middle of the Covid pandemic.

More from Deadline

King acquired film rights to the original video game property from Square Enix Ltd. in 2011. The action-adventure game was a massive hit after its 1996 debut, spawning multiple sequel games and eventually the Jolie-starring movie adaptations.

MGM has been recalibrating since being acquired by Amazon in an $8.5 billion deal that closed in May.

TheWrap first reported news of the rights auction today.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.