• News

Tomb Raider movie sequel set for March 2021 release

The Tomb Raider movie sequel is moving forward with a new director and a March 2021 release date.

Ozzie Mejia

September 4, 2019 11:30 AM

3

The rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy may have concluded with last year's Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but Lara Croft's adventures on the silver screen are not yet over. Following last year's successful blockbuster take on the Tomb Raider reboot, MGM is officially ready to jump back in with a Tomb Raider sequel, setting a release date and naming a new director.

As confirmed earlier this year, Alicia Vikander will return as heroine Lara Croft, but that will be one of the few unchanged elements between the original movie and this upcoming sequel. According to Deadline, the biggest change will be in the director's chair. Long-time film aficionados may be intrigued to hear that British director Ben Wheatley will helm this second Tomb Raider movie. Wheatley's credits include 2011's Kill List, 2016's Free Fire, and the upcoming Netflix exclusive Rebecca.

Whealey will reunite with writer Amy Jump, who was hired to write for the second Tomb Raider movie back in April. Wheatley and Jump previously collaborated on 2015's High-Rise, which starred Tom Hiddleston.

The first Tomb Raider movie focused on a young Lara Croft, consumed by her father's disappearance. Her search soon led her to Yamatai, the island home of ancient Japanese Queen Himiko. She was soon surrounded by villainous organization Trinity, who enslaved the island's population on a mad search for Himiko's tomb and relentless pursued her, guns blazing. If this sounds a lot like the 2013 Tomb Raider game, that's because it kind of is, nearly note for note. Reception for the movie was mixed, with some critics and audiences enjoying the take on the classic character. Others, including the moviegoing audience at Shacknews, gave it a more lukewarm reception. The movie ultimately grossed $274.7 million worldwide.

The Tomb Raider sequel from MGM Films will hit theaters on March 19, 2021. A final title is expected in the months ahead.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?