Third TR film discussion thread | update June 13: Buffy's Marti Noxon to write script

[QiX]

Collection of articles, interviews, preview and assorted information on the upcoming third instalment in the film series of Tomb Raider.

NEW!! Update by QiX- June 15, 2013: The IMDb page is now updated:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1365519/

Tomb Raider (2013)
Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Archaeologist Lara Croft sets off on a series of international adventures.

Writers: Mark Fergus (screenplay), Marti Noxon (screenplay), 1 more credit »

Production Notes from IMDbPro
Status: Treatment/Outline | See complete list of in-production titles »
Comments: Script is being written.
Updated: 12 June 2013
More Info: See more production information about this title on IMDbPro.
Storyline
Archaeologist Lara Croft sets off on a series of international adventures.

Plot Keywords: lara croft | based on video game | re boot
Genres: Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Parents Guide: Add content advisory for parents »

Details
Country: USA

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NEW!! Update by Driber - June 13, 2013:

Best known for her work on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Justin Kroll

MGM is moving closer in getting its “Tomb Raider” off the ground, bringing in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum Marti Noxon to pen the script.

Story is still being worked out but will likely follow archaeologist Lara Croft as she sets off on one of her international adventures.

Graham King is developing the film and will produce through his GK Films banner.

King and MGM have been trying for some time to get the project off the ground given the genre’s strong fanbase.

Angelina Jolie starred in two installments and while the original did well enough for Paramount to greenlight a sequel, the second disappointed and did not make enough to complete the trilogy.

King picked up the rights after Paramount let them expire and took the project to MGM. The most recent videogame installment, released this year, sold more than 3 million units and features a younger Lara Croft.

The WME-repped Noxon is best known for her work as a TV showrunner but has started to work more in the film realm. Her film credits include DreamWorks’ “Fright Night” and “I Am Number Four.”

She also adapted “The Glass Castle” for Lionsgate with Jennifer Lawrence attached and most recently has done a production rewrite on the Fox Animation pic “The Anubis Tapestry.”

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/bu...gm-1200496236/

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NEW!! Update by Driber - June 1, 2013:

Gemma Arterton is interested in the role:

http://www.empireonline.com/intervie...w.asp?IID=1705

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Update by Driber - April 20, 2013:

Hayley Atwell is interested in the role:

Finally, with a new Tomb Raider movie in the works at MGM, some fans have already pegged Atwell as the best choice to play Lara Croft. Atwell is aware of the fan support and sounds pretty game to fill those shoes:

“There’s also some kind of online campaign for me to do Tomb Raider Reborn, which I know has just come out as a computer game. MGM have the rights to make it into a film, which would be fantastic to do because I’d get to spend a year of my life training hard and pick up all sorts of fantastic fun skills.”

source: http://collider.com/captain-america-...l-tomb-raider/

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Update by Driber - March 27, 2013:

@MGM_Studios has acquired the film rights to @TombRaider and will develop the new action adventure franchise in partnership with GK.

https://twitter.com/gkfilms/status/316994164929728513

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS PARTNERS WITH GK FILMS TO PRODUCE TOMB RAIDER

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has acquired the feature film rights to TOMB RAIDER and will develop the new action adventure franchise based on the Lara Croft video game franchise in partnership with GK Films, it was jointly announced today by Gary Barber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MGM and Graham King, Founder, GK Films.

GK Films had previously acquired the TOMB RAIDER film rights in 2011 from interactive entertainment company, Square Enix Ltd. King will serve as producer and development of the first film will begin immediately. No casting has been announced.

“Graham is one of the premier producers in this industry and I am delighted to be working with him on this exciting franchise. We look forward to developing more projects together in the future,” said Barber.

King said, “I am thrilled to partner with Gary and his MGM team on rebooting this successful TOMB RAIDER film franchise. The enthusiasm over the recent game release is very encouraging and we can’t wait to bring it to the big screen.”

The original TOMB RAIDER game was published in 1996 by the London-based video game company Eidos and went on to become one of the most successful video games of the time. Eidos (including Crystal Dynamics) is now part of an international interactive entertainment group, Square Enix. A pop culture phenomenon, the original TOMB RAIDER games have sold over 35 million game units worldwide making Lara Croft one of the most recognized names in the gaming industry. Most recently, Square Enix released the highly-anticipated reboot of the series, simply titled TOMB RAIDER, on March 5, 2013 to critical acclaim.

In 2001 and 2003, Paramount Pictures made two feature films starring Angelina Jolie and based on the daredevil archaeologist on a series of global missions. The films grossed a total of $432 million worldwide.

The newly reinvigorated MGM is currently in pre-production on the original film, HERCULES starring Dwayne Johnson, directed by Brett Ratner. The studio has several films slated for release this year including GI JOE: RETALIATION with Paramount debuting March 28, CARRIE with Sony’s Screen Gems due October 18 and THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG with New Line/Warner Bros. set for December 13. ROBOCOP, with Sony, is scheduled for release February 7, 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...1111726&type=1

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Small article @ ComingSoon.net published on the day of the game release. Not much info added at this point but, hey... We are fans, aren't we? Everything is relevant for us:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movie...#ixzz1eKEOVLWn

Tomb Raider Movie Reboot to Feature Younger Lara Croft
Source: Variety
March 5, 2013


Square Enix is releasing Crystal Dynamics' new Tomb Raider game today for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the PC. The game explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a frightened young woman to a hardened survivor.

But what is the status of the movie reboot? Variety says Crystal Dynamics is working closely with GK Films to develop the film that will also focus on the younger Lara Croft.

"They are working from this new take that we've given them," Darrell Gallagher, head of studio at Crystal Dynamics, said of GK Films. "It's a good partnership. We're seeing the challenges through the same lens."

He added that "It was important for both of us to have a cohesive version of the franchise. We didn't want to see a film version that was a continuation of the old 'Tomb Raider' films."

Producer Graham King previously told us that the new film will be "the story before she became Lara Croft, so it is a character piece. It does have a lot of really great characters, but it's a lot of action and a lot of fun, and for me, it's something very different. I've not really done a movie like that before, but I really gravitated to rebooting this franchise and we're going to give it a shot."

Starring Angelina Jolie, Paramount Pictures made two movies based on the daredevil archaeologist on a series of global missions in 2001 and 2003. They grossed a total of $432 million at the worldwide box office.

Who do you think should play the younger Lara Croft in the movie?

Update with the latest interview with producer Graham King @ Digital Spy, UK. Exclusive video interview included:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/n...-the-apes.html (link provided by dark7angel)

'Tomb Raider' reboot inspired by 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'
Published Thursday, Dec 1 2011, 10:00 GMT | By Simon Reynolds and Ben Rawson-Jones

Tomb Raider producer Graham King has revealed that he took inspiration from Rise of the Planet of the Apes for the Lara Croft franchise reboot.

[Video interview: 'Tomb Raider will explore Lara Croft origins', 1m10s duration]

King told Digital Spy that he has received a script from Iron Man screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.

"We're going through [the script] creatively, bringing in directors to talk to and then I get that horrible job of sitting with 25-30 young girls that want to play Lara Croft," he said.

Asked about his approach to the new Lara Croft movie, King said: "For me it's re-inventing the wheel a bit, it's a reboot. We're going back before she was Lara Croft, so it's a much more emotional character piece. She's in search of her parents.

"One of my favourite movies of this year was Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the way they rebooted that franchise. I thought it was fantastic and took a lot away from that for Tomb Raider."

Angelina Jolie previously starred as the iconic video game character in Tomb Raider (2001) and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003).

Graham King @ ComingSoon.net:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movie...#ixzz1eKEOVLWn (link provided by dark7angel)

Exclusive: Graham King on the Tomb Raider Reboot
Source: Edward Douglas November 20, 2011

Earlier today, ComingSoon.net had a chance to sit down with producer Graham King, who has once again reteamed with Martin Scorsese for Hugo, a magical fantasy based on Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret."

When he brought up the reboot of Tomb Raider he's working on with Iron Man writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, we wondered about the decision considering the reaction to the previous two movies starring Angelina Jolie. (Ironically, King also produced Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood & Honey, which will be released by FilmDistrict next month.)

He gave us some idea on the direction they plan to take, which is definitely more along the lines of Casino Royale or Batman Begins:

"Listen, the box office, they weren't disasters but I find it interesting that the story that we're telling is really the story before she became Lara Croft, so it is a character piece. It does have a lot of really great characters, but it's a lot of action and a lot of fun, and for me, it's something very different. I've not really done a movie like that before, but I really gravitated to rebooting this franchise and we're going to give it a shot."

Considering how two of the best studio action movies this year, Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class and Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, took a similar approach, it certainly seems like a smart way to go, and here's hoping King is able to find the right director and ever-important actress soon to get this thing rolling forward.

Look for the rest of our interview with King soon. Hugo comes out in many places on Wednesday, November 23.

Graham King @ Collider:

http://collider.com/tomb-raider-rema...m-king/127572/ (link provided by dark7angel)

Producer Graham King Provides Update on TOMB RAIDER Reboot; Says It’s More of a “Character Study” and Goes Back to Her Roots
by Adam Chitwood Posted:November 20th, 2011 at 1:25 pm

While a reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise has been in the works for quite some time, we hadn’t really heard much about the film until early this year when a 2013 release was targeted. Iron Man scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby came aboard the project in May. They stated at the time that their intention was to craft an origin story and solidify Lara Croft as a strong female character in the vein of Ellen Ripley or Sarah Connor.

Steve is currently in New York covering press for Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and he sat down with producer Graham King who gave an update on the Tomb Raider reboot. King said that they just got the script in and they hope to start production next year. The producer also spoke about the direction and tone of the story they’ve come up with, and even mused on the prospect of bringing Angelina Jolie back in some capacity. Hit the jump for the full interview.

King confirmed that they just received the script and now they’re looking ahead to production. As for the tone, King describes it as more along the lines of a character study:

King has a relationship with Jolie as he produced The Tourist and worked with her on her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey. When asked whether or not he would bring her back in a cameo capacity, King laughed and said he didn’t know, but he did confirm that he and Jolie have talked about Tomb Raider. “We’ll have to see” King mused, so for fans of the original series the idea isn’t entirely off the table just yet. Since the script is now in, hopefully we’ll hear more about the project soon as a production start date looms.

Here’s the transcript followed by the full video interview itself, which includes a neat anecdote about test screening Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey:

If I’m not mistaken, you’re one of the people bringing back Tomb Raider. Where is that and do you envision that it could be in front of cameras soon?

I think hopefully next year. We just got the script in on Tomb Raider and it’s really good. It’s something that, for me anyway, is different, you know rebooting a franchise that I didn’t produce to begin with. But there’s something about her character and going back to her roots, and that’s what we’re doing with this. You’re actually gonna meet her before she has all her powers as Lara Croft. It’s more of a character study, but it’s a really fun, fun adventure story.


You have a relationship with Ms. Jolie. Is there any chance that she could somehow cameo in the upcoming reboot?

(laughs) I don’t know, you know we’ve spoken about Tomb Raider and we’ll have to see. I mean she’s so wonderful, she just directed this movie for me, In the Land of Blood and Honey, which I think we’re about five weeks from releasing and I can’t wait for people to see that movie. She did an amazing job as a director, absolutely amazing. Maybe I’ll ask her to direct it (laughs). We did a screening of the movie in L.A., like a preview, and I didn’t tell anyone who directed it, then afterwards I asked the focus group who they think directed it, and they said Roman Polanski or Clint Eastwood, which is “wow.” But she’s that good, and the film is that good.

[Video interview (transcripted above), 1m43s duration]

Graham King's first interview for Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hea...oft-get-165065 (link provided by Driber)

'Tomb Raider's' Lara Croft to Get Reboot - Without Angelina Jolie
Graham King's GK Films has acquired the franchise's film rights, with plans to release an origin-story in 2013.
7:00 PM PST 3/7/2011 by Borys Kit

Lara Croft is back in action.

The heroine of one of the biggest video games from the 1990s is once again getting the movie treatment, this time from heavyweight producer Graham King and his GK Films.

GK Films has acquired the feature film rights to Tomb Raider and will reboot the action-adventure franchise aiming for a 2013 release for the first film.

The new movie will be produced by King and Tim Headington.

Angelina Jolie starred in the two previous big-screen adaptations made by Paramount, and with King having produced The Tourist, the Jolie-Johnny Depp thriller, some tongues were wagging about the potential for a new Jolie Raider movie.

But sources say GK Films, which has not hired a writer yet, may be looking to do a Lara Croft origin story rather continue her adventures.

According to GK Films, the goal is to "create daring new adventures for the young and dynamic Lara Croft."

The game was created in 1996 by Eidos, now part of entertainment group Square Enix. (In December, Enix subsidiary, Crystal Dynamics, said it was working on a new Raider game, this one based on the origins of Croft.)

2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and 2003's Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life grossed $432 million worldwide.

The rights lapsed back to Eidos in the late 2000s, with Warner Bros. in development of an iteration. That version, however, never got past the writing stage.

Grey Rembert will oversee the project for GK Films, which was involved in Rango and has Hugo Cabret, directed by Martin Scorsese, coming out later this year.

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This thread contained 2 polls which have been closed. Here are the final results of those polls:





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Here are photos of the actresses listed in the poll. (Links provided by LadyRufina)

Do you want to see someone else as Lara in the new movie? Post your suggestions in this thread and we can add it to the poll so that you can vote for it

Summer Glau:

(click image to enlarge)

Olivia Wilde:

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Alison Carrol:

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Gemma Arterton:

(click image to enlarge)

Natalie Portman:

(click image to enlarge)

Kaya Scodelario:

(click image to enlarge)

Lyndsy Fonseca:

(click image to enlarge)

Ellen Page:

(click image to enlarge)

Nina Dobrev:

(click image to enlarge)

Olivia Thirlby:

(click image to enlarge)

Hayley Atwell:

(click image to enlarge)

Camilla Luddington:

(click to enlarge)

Emma Watson:

(click image to enlarge)

[Silvermoth]

Just checked out Graham King on imdb. Guy has an awesome resume, looks like we're in for a good one! Yay!!!!

Anyone want to volunteer a cast or thoughts?

[adobeARTIST]

Guess I'll just recap what I mentioned in the general discussions board; back in the summer last year when I met Summer Glau at Toronto's FanExpo, she told me she was "in talks" for the role of Lara in the upcoming movie. Nothing official of course but this got me super excited none the less.

But more recently on a channel we have here called Space (kinda our version of the SciFi channel) a talk segment made mention of Olivia Wilde now being rumored for the role. Again nothing official here either.

While I do like Olivia well enough, I would still much MUCH prefer Summer get the part. She certainly has the looks, I mean she is just gorgeous, and top notch acting chops. But where she has the advantage over Olivia is her extensive training and experience in a variety of combat kills, from martial arts to sidearms & edged weapons. Plus she's amazingly athletic, her dancing and gymnastics background can easily be adapted to serve as Lara's acrobatics repertoir.

I wouldn't complain too much if it did go to Olivia, but still I strongly feel Summer will do the role more justice. Here's hoping

[Silvermoth]

I wouldn't mind seeing a British Lara this time.

[dark7angel]

Originally Posted by adobeARTIST

Guess I'll just recap what I mentioned in the general discussions board; back in the summer last year when I met Summer Glau at Toronto's FanExpo, she told me she was "in talks" for the role of Lara in the upcoming movie. Nothing official of course but this got me super excited none the less.

But more recently on a channel we have here called Space (kinda our version of the SciFi channel) a talk segment made mention of Olivia Wilde now being rumored for the role. Again nothing official here either.

While I do like Olivia well enough, I would still much MUCH prefer Summer get the part. She certainly has the looks, I mean she is just gorgeous, and top notch acting chops. But where she has the advantage over Olivia is her extensive training and experience in a variety of combat kills, from martial arts to sidearms & edged weapons. Plus she's amazingly athletic, her dancing and gymnastics background can easily be adapted to serve as Lara's acrobatics repertoir.

I wouldn't complain too much if it did go to Olivia, but still I strongly feel Summer will do the role more justice. Here's hoping

I agree with you, Summer would be perfect for the role!
As for Olivia Wilde, I'm not really a fan...

[LC is Me]

I was kind of hoping they gave up on the whole movie thing.

[adobeARTIST]

Originally Posted by LC is Me

I was kind of hoping they gave up on the whole movie thing.

BLASPHEMER!!!



never give up

[LC is Me]

Originally Posted by adobeARTIST

BLASPHEMER!!!



never give up

I didn't like the first two all that much.
D:

I mean...I guess they were ok.
But, imo, not good enough to make a third.
Unless it's super awesome.

[Pulse]

The first two were absolutely awful! They made my eyes bleed and my heart cry...

[Portal Croft]

Muito bom , Pelo menos o filme vem em português !

Very good, at least the film is in Portuguese!

[Jurre]

I guess I must be a blasphemer too then... I would be surprised if movie-Lara's personality was anything other than a walking bag of hostility towards the world because that is the only way Hollywood seems to be able to portray a strong female. As for the movie; I expect a rather uninspired B-action flick that doesn't stay true to the game, nor goes beyond the source material in a way like Christopher Nolans Batman movie. I'm sorry to be so cynical but that's my experience with game movies...

[KellyMissMurder]

The movies did not do the games justice at all. How about they just do an CG movie. That I would watch!

[Madenice]

I'm curious, but again, waiting for Keir to confirm and such xD Don't expect too much atm :P

What KellyMissMurder says ^^

[Ants_27_]

Originally Posted by Jurre

I guess I must be a blasphemer too then... I would be surprised if movie-Lara's personality was anything other than a walking bag of hostility towards the world because that is the only way Hollywood seems to be able to portray a strong female.

Exactly. Hollywood shouldn't touch it. If only there were credible indie film makers that don't run to hollywood... then you'd have a cool film.

In all honesty if you could get the rights properly and then find ways to fund the film then I'd believe it to be a better film as films with smaller budgets are 100 times better than these big hollywood products like Transformers or Avatar. Not always the case of course. Although, that's my opinion of course!

[MissJess]

Originally Posted by LC is Me

I was kind of hoping they gave up on the whole movie thing.

I completely agree.

[LC is Me]

Originally Posted by Jurre

I guess I must be a blasphemer too then... I would be surprised if movie-Lara's personality was anything other than a walking bag of hostility towards the world because that is the only way Hollywood seems to be able to portray a strong female. As for the movie; I expect a rather uninspired B-action flick that doesn't stay true to the game, nor goes beyond the source material in a way like Christopher Nolans Batman movie. I'm sorry to be so cynical but that's my experience with game movies...

This forever. D:

That's why I didn't like the movies.
They portrayed Lara as this snarky sort of prude stuck in an overly dry plot.

[Foundered]

This is sooo exciting! This might have been a deciding factor on making the new game a reboot/origin story. If the movie is like the new game it will be much darker than the other TR movies.

Angelina is Lara. It's not like James Bond or Batman where you can have a new actor every movie. If it is an origin movie it will let them get a new actress without people saying "pfft that's not Lara".

I do not want Summer or Olivia as Lara tho. Oh no Kim Kardashian either.

[Ants_27_]

Originally Posted by Foundered

Angelina is Lara. It's not like James Bond or Batman where you can have a new actor every movie. If it is an origin movie it will let them get a new actress without people saying "pfft that's not Lara".

But in the movie making business its going to be hell of a lot cheaper to keep changing actors. If you have Angelina back then it could quite easily eat into the budget, why? Cause I think the insurance of traveling to different locations around the world would be extremely costly.

But in terms as I started with different actors, then I'm surprised they kept the actors the same within the Harry Potter films... kinda cool way to view films to see this person grow as the character they are supposed to represent... alas from 11 to 17.

[RosePetals]

I would totally love a CGI film. ^^

[WinterSoldier]

I'd much rather see a CG movie then a live action one. If they do go for live action tho (which I'm 100% certain they will), then wash her d@mn hair this time around! Angelina's was so oily and filthy looking I thought she'd just got done working in a boiler room!

[GemmaDarkmoon]

Think it is a shame if the new movie is origins. It is all geting a bit too much on that theme now. The other two TR movies were okay but probably havn't lived up to the pottential that a TR movie could have.

[LC is Me]

Originally Posted by WinterSoldier

I'd much rather see a CG movie then a live action one. If they do go for live action tho (which I'm 100% certain they will), then wash her d@mn hair this time around! Angelina's was so oily and filthy looking I thought she'd just got done working in a boiler room!

o noes her hair
:l

[Elliot Kane]

I think whether this is good or not depends on who they cast as Lara, honestly. Alison Carroll would be the obvious choice, for me, or Kate Beckinsale if they want a 30-something Lara.

In any case, they need a Lara who looks and sounds English. Anything else and the film won't work.

[RosePetals]

Originally Posted by WinterSoldier

I'd much rather see a CG movie then a live action one. If they do go for live action tho (which I'm 100% certain they will), then wash her d@mn hair this time around! Angelina's was so oily and filthy looking I thought she'd just got done working in a boiler room!

I thought I was the only one who noticed how grimy her hair looked in the movies. Lara's hair in the games always looked so soft and flowing whether she's cliff-diving or killing mummies.

[Natla]

Originally Posted by Elliot Kane

I think whether this is good or not depends on who they cast as Lara, honestly. Alison Carroll would be the obvious choice, for me, or Kate Beckinsale if they want a 30-something Lara.

In any case, they need a Lara who looks and sounds English. Anything else and the film won't work.

Can Alison Carroll act at all?