New ‘Tomb Raider’ Movie Coming Together At MGM
MGM recently acquired the film rights to the video game franchise Tomb Raider.
The studio will team up with GK Films to bring the adventures of Lara Croft back to the big screen. GK Films previously acquired the rights to Tomb Raider from Square Enix back in 2011.
“[GK Films founder] Graham [King] is one of the premier producers in this industry and I am delighted to be working with him on this exciting franchise. We look forward to developing more projects together in the future,” MGM chairman and CEO Gary Barber said of the deal.
Angelina Jolie previously starred in two big screen adaptations of the series. The Expendables 2 director Simon West’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was released into theaters back in 2001. Jan de Bont’s sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life arrived two years later.
Although the films didn’t receive strong reviews from critics, the movies went on to generate around $474 million worldwide. However, it’s unlikely that Jolie will reprise her role as Lara Croft in MGM’s new franchise. It’s currently unknown who will play the character in the reboot.
The studio is no doubt hoping to cash in on the success of the latest Tomb Raider video game. The re-imagining follows a young Croft during her perilous first adventure. The designers decided to head back to the drawing board in order to make the character more appealing to modern gamers.
MGM has a number of projects in the oven since it emerged from bankruptcy in 2011. In addition to Tomb Raider, the studio is moving forward with the Dwayne Johnson action flick Hercules. MGM is working with fellow Fast and Furious 6 star Vin Diesel on The Machine.
The studio is also preparing to unleash a handful of remakes into theaters. Carrie is slated to arrive in theaters this fall, while the troubled RoboCop remake will arrive early next year. MGM is also looking to put together a remake of Tobe Hooper’s classic horror flick Poltergeist.
What do you think about MGM’s decision to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise?
