MOVIE NEWS – MGM has finally lost the bidding war for the rights to Tomb Raider, making another film with Alicia Vikander highly unlikely.

It looks like the Alicia Vikander starring Tomb Raider 2 project has officially been put to better use. The Wrap reports that MGM has lost the film rights to Tomb Raider amid a bidding war. What ultimately cost the studio the rights was that they waited too long to launch Tomb Raider 2. Officially, they were supposed to greenlight Tomb Raider 2 by May 2022, and since that didn’t happen, the rights expired, so various Hollywood studios made high bids to take over the film series.

With MGM losing the rights, the next Tomb Raider film is rumoured to be a complete reboot as result, unrelated to the previous films.

This, of course, means that Vikander is no longer attached to the role. The script written by Lovecraft Country showrunner Misha Green, who was also hired to write and direct the sequel, has also been scrapped.

Alicia Vikander had hoped to return

This must be as disappointing for Alicia Vikander as it is for fans hoping for her return in Tomb Raider 2. The actress has been vocal about her desire to return for the past few years, although as the film’s lead actress, the greenlighting of the project was not up to her. Last year, Vikander appeared hopeful but remained sceptical that a sequel would actually be made.

“Misha [Green] is about to … A script is coming in very soon,” she told Comicbook.com. “She’s extremely hardworking. And so, I can’t say anything, because like you said, [current circumstances] kind of put everything just up in the air. But yeah, I’m excited to read scripts and hope that it’s something that we’ll find a way to make.”

Vikander also likely saw the writing on the wall that film rights were up in the air.

Earlier this month, she again made it clear that she would love to return to the role of Lara Croft but said that the rights were “politicised” and that it would be up to someone else to decide whether to bring Alicia Vikander back to reprise the role.

“With the MGM and Amazon buyout, I have no clue. Now it’s kind of politics,” Vikander said via Entertainment Weekly. “I think Misha and I have been ready, so it’s kind of in somebody else’s hands, to be honest. I’ve been excited to show the world. I love what she’s done with Lovecraft Country.”

There’s no word yet on who might be next to play Lara Croft on the big screen, but we may soon find out.

Source: The Wrap