It's hard to believe that it's been over three years since Lara Croft last graced the big screen. In that film, which starred Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander as the lead heroine, audiences were taken back to the iconic character's dark and gritty origins, long before she became the Tomb Raider we've all grown to love. Given that the film was a bonafide hit (grossing nearly $275 million at the box office), it seemed inevitable that a sequel would be made soon after. But as Vikander recently explained, the Tomb Raider 2 project is still very much a work in progress.

Back in September 2019, Warner Bros. was well on its way to forming the production team that would spearhead the sequel. Ben Wheatley (High Rise) had been tapped to direct Tomb Raider 2 and they even targeted for a March 2021 release date. However, due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the project suffered many delays, causing Wheatley to ultimately drop out. Things weren't looking so good for Tomb Raider 2, until Misha Green, the creator of Lovecraft Country, decided to replace Wheatley in January 2021.

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Currently, Green is working on a script that has a working title of Tomb Raider: Obsidian, and it's likely to cover events that would occur after the first film. Additionally, we may see a much more refined Lara Croft this time around, since she picked up quite a few combat skills and survival techniques in the last film. Perhaps the franchise is well on its way to developing Lara Croft's full potential, i.e., the Angelina Jolie version. Still, the status of Tomb Raider 2 is still up in the air as the movie is not necessarily a done deal yet. In a statement to Collider, Vikander said that she's hopeful that things will work out in the end. "Pre-COVID, I would’ve said yes. And now I think it’s a yes still. It’s not greenlit, but the script is in the making," she said. "I think everyone is excited and I would love to revisit Lara again."

Tomb Raider 2 Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft

Vikander says that these developments are fairly new and that there's a chance for Tomb Raider 2 to really start picking up momentum now that the world "is up and running again." She anticipates that she will be able to read something from Green very soon. Hopefully, the project will be greenlit sometime soon so that we can see more of Vikander in action.

While Vikander's first Tomb Raider film was generally met with mixed reviews, there were some moviegoers who thought the adventure flick was entertaining. Still, considering others lambasted the film, taking more time to develop Tomb Raider 2 probably isn't the worst idea, all things considered.

Tomb Raider: Obsidian is currently in development.

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Source: Collider