The Tomb Raider sequel with Alicia Vikander had a March 2021 theater date. However, production could not start due to the pandemic, and the star recently updated fans on what’s going on.
MGM and Warner Bros had given the Tomb Raider sequel a release date despite its lukewarm box office performance. On Sept. 2019, the studios also signed Ben Wheatley to direct the follow-up film replacing Roar Uthaug.
But while promoting her new Amazon Prime movie The Glorias, Vikander revealed on Good Morning America that work on the sequel hasn’t started. They had plans to begin production early this year, but COVID-19 happened.
“Of course, due to the [pandemic] situation, that’s now very different,” the actress said. “We’re still in discussions about it, so I hope we can probably get to it next year.”
The studios haven’t commented on the sequel’s production, but Vikander’s optimism is encouraging for the franchise’s fans.
What will the sequel’s story be about?
The 2018 movie ended with Lara Croft (Vikander) learning that her father (Dominic West) had ties to Trinity, the evil corporation. Amy Jump is writing the screenplay to the follow-up story as Vikander apparently liked how the writer developed her character.
According to Geeks Vibe Nation, the sequel will take points from the 2018 video game Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which will take Croft to the city of Paititi. The first movie was based on the origin story of the 2013 video game Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Casting announcements haven’t been made since there is still no production schedule. Meanwhile, Warner Bros apparently dropped out of the project amid the pandemic.
Tomb Raider failed to hit its box office numbers in the U.S. with just $58.3 million. Overseas, the movie earned substantially ($216.4 million). Despite the reception from American fans, the studios considered the movie’s global box office numbers a success after a budget of $94 million.
What has been the star up to?
Meanwhile, Vikander revealed that her husband, actor Michael Fassbender, surprised her with a trip back home to Sweden for her birthday. She said that she tested negative for COVID-19 and was able to spend time with family.
“I haven’t seen [them] in a long time. So that was kind of a perfect gift,” the actress said.
Vikander is looking forward to traveling again once the Tomb Raider sequel starts production. In the meantime, fans of the actress can watch her in The Glorias, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)