How did MGM manage to lose the film rights to Tomb Raider?
That's a question people have been asking ever since it was revealed the studio failed to start production on the sequel in time, prompting a bidding war among studios looking to reboot the franchise. Amazon recently acquired MGM and could do a lot with Tomb Raider, but The Wrap has now shared more details on what went wrong.
It sounds like the large production budget needed for writer and director Misha Green's planned take on Lara Croft proved particularly problematic, while there were also disagreements between the filmmaker and star Alicia Vikander. That caused delays and, somehow, MGM missed that May 1 date to start production on the follow-up to the 2018 reboot.
Vikander and Green were in talks about the actor's issues with the script when that deadline came and went, but it was too late. MGM asked game developer Square Enix for more time, "but their patience had run out."
Interestingly, it sounds like Ben Wheatley's vision for Tomb Raider was a lot more of a traditional action movie, though it's unclear why that version never came to fruition. Green ultimately wanted to make a more ambitious (and thereby more expensive) movie, and that's where the problems began.
The trade reiterates previous reports that Vikander won't reprise the role, but notes that Netflix, Warner Bros. and Amazon are among the parties interesting in acquiring these film rights.
With that in mind, the Tomb Raider franchise could be destined for streaming. We'd assume it would be a movie, but there's no denying that Lara's story would work well on television too (there's already an animated series in the works for Netflix).
Hopefully, we'll have more details to share with you soon. Angelina Jolie previously played Lara Croft, so it will be interesting seeing if we get an established star or a relative newcomer in the role.