Bad news for anyone still waiting for a sequel to 2018’s Tomb Raider; not only has MGM lost the film rights to the anticipated follow-up, but Alicia Vikander is no longer attached to play Lara Croft.

Ben Wheatley (In The Earth) was initially attached to direct this second outing from a script by Amy Jump (with whom Wheatley had previously collaborated on Kill List and High-Rise), but the indie horror director eventually left the project after a series of production delays. At which point, the studio hired Lovecraft Country director and producer Misha Green in what was intended to be her feature debut.

MGM reportedly had until May 2022 to get a potential sequel off the ground; with that deadline missed and gone, this has meant that the Tom Raider film rights have reverted to the video game developer Crystal Dynamics. The Wrap reports that a costly bidding war between several studios for the IP franchise has since erupted.

However, considering neither Green nor Alicia Vikander is still involved in the project, studios will have no choice but to make this a complete reboot, rather than a sequel.

Elsewhere, the Netflix Tomb Raider anime series is still in the works, with MCU actress Hayley Atwell voicing Lara Croft.

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