Tomb Raider Film Rights Go Up for Auction Following MGM Exit: Report

Tomb Raider is in search of a new production studio. MGM has lost film rights to the Alicia Vikander-led movie franchise, erupting in a bidding war between multiple studios and streaming services. A report from The Wrap revealed that MGM had until May 2022 to approve a sequel to the 2018 Tomb Raider film, but was unable to do so. Producer Graham King is now looking for a new distribution studio and pump out a Tomb Raider sequel.

A bunch of Hollywood studios are now placing bids to purchase the filming rights to Tomb Raider, as confirmed by The Wrap. Vikander (The Green Knight) is no longer attached to the project — as the franchise will now undergo a complete reboot. A sequel to the 2018 film had been in the works for a while, with Lovecraft County showrunner Misha Green set to write and direct. Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) was also attached as director at one point.

At this stage, there is no information on casting or direction. Based on publisher Square Enix's action-adventure video games, the Tomb Raider film franchise was first kicked off by Simon West in 2001, casting Angelina Jolie in the lead, even spawning a sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life in 2003. We later saw the bow-wielding adventurer on the big screen in 2018, as Vikander stepped up under Roar Uthaug's direction. The film was produced by MGM and grossed $274.7 million (about Rs. 2,176 crore) at the worldwide box office.

According to Deadline, a sequel to Tomb Raider had a release window of March 2021, “smack in the middle of the [COVID-19] pandemic.” Vikander, however, is still keen on reprising the role, as revealed in an interview last week. “I think Misha and I have been ready, so it's kind of in somebody else's [MGM] hands, to be honest,” she said.

Producer King, under his company banner ‘GK Films,' acquired filming rights to the video game property from Square Enix in 2011. The original game is regarded as a cult classic, featuring innovative exploration and third-person action mechanics, generating multiple sequels and a reboot trilogy in 2013.

MGM was recently acquired by Amazon for $8.5 billion (about Rs. 67,351 crore), thereby setting off this entire incident.