Tomb Raider Sequel Movie Loses Alicia Vikander
The future of the Tomb Raider film franchise has been floating around in the air for some time now, and it's been pretty agonising for fans. The 2018 film, while not exactly dominating the box office, was still a treat for fans of the rebooted video game series. But suddenly, the future of the film has been thrown into disarray.
Alicia Vikander stepped into the boots of Lara Croft with a formidable performance as an action lead. Though some weren't as enthused as they were for Angelina Jolie's take on the character for 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, it was still a cracking Sunday afternoon popcorn flick and did well enough to warrant discussions of a sequel.
Will Alicia Vikander Return For Tomb Raider 2?
Click to enlargeAccording to a new report by Deadline, the rights to produce the Tomb Raider franchise have slipped from the hands of MGM, and in turn, have lost its lead in Alicia Vikander. It's been revealed that the Ex Machina star is no longer attached to the sequel project, and a new lead is set to be cast in her place.
MGM has been in a bit of a peculiar position since May, as that's when its new deal closed with Amazon after a massive $8.5 million purchase. The Tomb Raider sequel was supposed to be directed by Ben Wheatley and Misha Green, but now, it moves forward without anyone attached.
Last year, Vikander spoke about her high hopes for Tomb Raider 2 and working with Green. Back then, the star said, "Vikander said, "I was like, 'Oh, I'm just now on a Zoom with an extremely talented woman that I think has done some incredible work. It would be so amazing if we get to go and do this very big-ass film together, going to kick some ass in front of the camera and behind the camera, you know?" So, what changed?
What's Next For The Tomb Raider Movie?
We know now that Alicia Vikander is getting recast (which is certifiably insane, as her turn as Lara Croft was as close to the games as we'll ever get), but when it comes to the film being made at all, we simply don't know anything. As is the case with film production, everything could crumble at any point.
With the current shaky status of Tomb Raider 2, it's more likely than ever that we'll simply start from scratch... again. It's an incredibly sad fate to befall the video game legend, which more than deserved its sequel. Still, it definitely needed Vikander at the helm. This Lara has raided her last tomb, and we're pretty gutted about it.
