Tomb Raider: The Franchise Featuring Alicia Vikander Is Placed On Hold

The "Tomb Raider" series has enjoyed great popularity among video game fans for over 25 years now. Most notably the early games featuring the main character Lara Croft have since become iconic in the gaming scene. In 2001 and 2003, there were the first movie adaptations, in which Angelina Jolie starred as the archaeologist with aristocratic origins. However, the films failed to impress many fans, which is why they distanced themselves from further adaptations after two movies. It was not until 2018 that they dared to give it another try with a reboot featuring Alicia Vikander in the leading role. It was well received overall and was also more successful at the box office than its two forerunners. MGM and Warner Bros. thus made plans for a sequel as early as 2019, and supposedly pre-production was already in full swing before the pandemic upset all plans. A last sign from the production was in May 2021, when screenwriter and director Misha Green gave a brief update via Twitter. 

However, it has been made clear for a few days now that the sequel with Vikander is definitely not going to happen. The reason for this is the loss of the movie rights from MGM, since no go-ahead for the film was given until May 2022 and hence, according to the contract clause, the movie rights returned to Graham King and his production company GK Films. At the same time, it became known that they were now looking for a new actress. So it remains to be seen how the "Tomb Raider" franchise will proceed.