Tomb Raider 2 Pulled From Release Schedule

The sequel to 2018's Tomb Raider movie reboot is one of many films that was expected to start production in 2020, ahead of a 2021 release date. But this didn't happen, and the movie has now been pulled from release schedules.

As reported by Deadline, Tomb Raider 2 was still holding onto a March 2021 release date, which was set back in September last year. Not surprisingly however, MGM has now removed the film from that slot and is yet to give it a new date.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the movie has been cancelled, just that we'll have to wait a bit longer to see it. The first movie was a box office hit, and earlier this month star Alicia Vikander, who plays Lara Croft, stated that she hoped the movie will start shooting in 2021. The film will be directed by Free Fire's Ben Wheatley with a script from regular writing partner Amy Jump. Wheatley will take over from the first film's director, Roar Uthaug.

This will be the fourth Tomb Raider film, but only the second in this particular incarnation. Angelina Jolie played the character in 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its 2003 sequel. Vikander's first outing as the character, which was based on the current video game series, made $275 million at the worldwide box office and was met with mixed reviews. In his review, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau called it "a pretty good action movie and a better than average video game adaptation," citing "smart story choices and a winning performance from Alicia Vikander."

In related news, it was announced last week that Wheatley will also direct the shark thriller sequel The Meg 2, which will star Jason Statham once more. Wheatley's most recent movie is the new adaptation of Rebecca, which hit Netflix this month, and it was also reported recently that he shot a COVID-19 themed horror movie in 15 days during quarantine.

For more, check out GameSpot's guide to the biggest upcoming movies of 2020 and beyond.