Angelina Jolie Returning To One Of Her Biggest Franchises?
Angelina Jolie's career is picking up again. Is she suddenly feeling nostalgic for an old role?
This article is more than 2 years old
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider- The Cradle of Life, released in the early 2000s, were the first live-action adaptations of the popular Tomb Raider video games. While they weren’t well-received by the critics, Angelina Jolie’s performance as the titular character was always heartily praised. And now, a report has emerged which says that the Eternals star is all set to return to the franchise.
As per insider Daniel Richtman, the “studio” is once again seeking out Angelina Jolie as they want the actress to return to the franchise. But like always, Richtman’s report is a little short on details, starting with which studio wants Jolie’s return in the first place. While the original films were bankrolled by Paramount, the reboot starring Alicia Vikander was distributed by MGM and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Back in 2004, despite the negative reviews received by the first two Lara Croft films headlined by Angelina Jolie, their commercial success was enough to push Paramount to announce a third film in the series. But all the plans were permanently benched when Jolie refused to star in another film as she felt there was no need to make another film in the series. The possibility that the plans have been renewed could be considered if not for the fact that the franchise has been rebooted and a sequel to the 2018 film starring Vikander is already in development.
So, if any studio is really seeking out Angelina Jolie for her return to the franchise it has to be MGM and/or Warner Bros. Pictures who are bankrolling the sequel to the reboot. In his report, Richtman also adds that while this anonymous studio wants her to make a comeback in the Tomb Raider franchise, they have a different role for her in mind as the franchise now has Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. The filming of the sequel to the 2018 film was supposed to begin in 2020 in England, South Africa, Finland, and China but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the beginning of 2021, work on the sequel has restarted. In January it was announced that Misha Green of Lovecraft Country fame will be making her directorial debut with the film and will also pen its script. Earlier in May, Green shared that she has completed the first draft for the sequel and currently, the working title is Tomb Raider: Obsidian. As of now, the cast of the film is yet to be announced, so there is every possibility that Angelina Jolie has been or will be pitched the script of the film. Whether she accepts whatever role the studio has in mind for her or not, depends on her.
In the meantime, Angelina Jolie awaits the release of Marvel’s Eternals. The film will mark her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut and will see her as the immortal superhero Thena who can fashion any weapon out of cosmic energy. Currently, the film is scheduled to be released on November 5, 2021, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
