Talk about a fumbling a crown jewel… After making just one Tomb Raider movie (in 2018) since striking a deal for the rights in 2013, MGM has now lost the chance to keep producing the big screen adventures of Lara Croft, and The Wrap reports that a bidding war is now underway as other studios vie to take over the concept.
Though MGM had been developing a sequel to its 2018 effort starring Alicia Vikander, the rights deal it struck included a clause that it had to greenlight a sequel by a certain point. In this case, it was May this year.
Despite the efforts of first Kill List director Ben Wheatley and then Lovecraft Country boss Misha Green, the deadline came and went, and here we are.
Things had been quiet on the Tomb Raider front for a while and Vikander offered little hope with her recent comments to Entertainment Weekly. "With the MGM and Amazon buyout, I have no clue. Now it’s kind of politics," Vikander said. "I think Misha and I have been ready, so it’s kind of in somebody else’s hands, to be honest."
GK Films maintains its stake, but is now entertaining offers for a new (stately home) for Lara Croft and a new lead, since Vikander is no longer attached. Who should control the Tomb Raider next? Probably not this guy…