Alicia Vikander’s dreams of playing Lara Croft again were just shattered. MGM has reportedly lost the movie rights to the video game, sparking a bidding war for the property in Hollywood. Sadly, this means the 2018 film starring Vikander will not get a sequel, as a new studio would want to start fresh with a new Tomb Raider.
MGM had until May to finally greenlight a Tomb Raider sequel, but the studio never did, The Wrapย reported Thursday. Multiple Hollywood studios immediately showed interest in the property and submitted bids, sources told the outlet. Another source told The Hollywood Reporterย the bidding war was a “feeding frenzy” as studios and streamers compete for more known intellectual properties for their content.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The movie rights reverted back to Square Enix, the video game studio behind the game, and producer Graham King’s GK Films. King acquired the screen rights from Square Enix in 2011, and he signed a deal to co-produce a movie with MGM. The partnership only resulted in the 2018 movie, which grossed $275 million internationally.
Vikander, who just headlined HBO’s Irma Vep limited series, has been talking about making a Tomb Raider sequel for years. However, in her latest comments on the subject, she told Entertainment Weeklyย her Tomb Raider 2 was in limbo after Amazon bought MGM. “With the MGM and Amazon buyout, I have no clue. Now it’s kind of politics,” she said earlier this month.
The Tomb Raider sequel was set to be written and directed byย Lovecraft Country creator Misha Green. Vikander told EW she was “excited to show the world” what Green did with Lara Croft. Unfortunately, the world will never see Green’s vision.
The first Tomb Raider game was released to multiple consoles in 1996. Angelina Jolie played the character in two films released by Paramount, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003). The Jolie movies made a combined $423 million worldwide.
Although Vikander will not play Lara Croft again, the future is bright for the actress, who won an Oscar for her supporting role in The Danish Girl. She recently starred in Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep series, which earned critical acclaim. Last year, she starred in The Green Knight, Blue Bayou, and Beckett. Her next movie is Karim Aรฏnouz’s Firebrand, a historical drama about King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr’s marriage. Jude Law plays the king and Vikander stars as Catherine.ย
