The Iron Man and Cowboys & Aliens writing team of Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby have been hired by GK Films to script the rebooted Tomb Raider film franchise. They will create a new adventure storyline for archaeologist/adventuress Lara Croft, played in the original Paramount films by Angelina Jolie. GK partners Graham King and Tim Headington are producing.
CAA-repped Fergus and Ostby most recently re-teamed with director Jon Favreau for Cowboys & Aliens, which Universal releases July 29, and their other credits include Children of Men. In March, GK made a deal for the rights with London-based video game company Eidos.
The real obstacle for this reboot is overcoming the fact that the ideal actress for the Lara Croft franchise is the one who played her in the first place. Female-driven action films have proven to be something of a dead zone in most cases. Besides Jolie, few actresses have been successful as action heroes, with Kate Beckinsale doing business in the Underworld series and Milla Jovovich in the Resident Evil films. Beyond getting a strong script and filmmaker, GK’s challenge will be combing the list of up-and-coming actresses to find the next Jolie. Then again, that’s the gambit for The Hunger Games, with Lionsgate and director Gary Ross betting big on Oscar-nominated Winter’s Bone star Jennifer Lawrence, who’ll next be seen playing a young Mystique in X-Men: First Class. Who among the younger actress set would make a great Lara Croft?
Olivia Wilde comes to mind – as long as they don’t put her in a ridiculous fake bra.
yeah, that seems to be the only sane choice. she is beautiful and talented and destined to be a big star. and yes they have to put her into a fake bra cos the original character has those absurd breasts. I prefer Olivia’s own pair though.
I don’t think Jolie was ideal at all…
Films were boring largely due to her pouty performance. Cast Betty White!
Exactly. If she was the perfect choice then the franchise wouldn’t have bombed and needed to be rebooted in the first place
I like Olivia Wilde, but not for this role. Those are some mighty big boots and guns to fill and frankly she just hasn’t got the charisma to make it fly. Let alone the physical assets. The girl is so freaking flat-chested a padding the bra (as they did with Jolie) just wouldn’t cut it. Wilde would need breast implants to get anywhere near the 38DDD the character is supposed to be. Like Jolie she’d also need to gain at least 10 pounds. Jolie’s a natural athlete and I just don’t see that from Wilde. I think they’d need heavy uses of stunt double and/or green screen to pull off the type of stunts that Jolie can do in her sleep. Good luck to GK Films in finding someone suitable for the role because if Wilde is the best they can come up, unless they make they movie for less than $50MIL, the movie’s probably going to be a great big splat at the box office.
Abbie Cornish.
I second SpongeRob80. Bitsie Tulloch! “If she gained 10 pounds, I’d say Bitsie Tulloch (Quarterlife). Strong actress, gorgeous, just a bit thin.”
I see her weight training and boxing at UBF all the time though, so she’s definitely put on weight since quarterlife and seems to be training for something. Maybe Grimm? Is that getting picked up? I forget if that’s CBS or NBC, hopefully NBC they need more.
Mila Kunis!
Yes, Mila…. good call
After carefully considering the options for the best choice as the new face of “Tomb Raider”, I’ve got to say Mila Kunis should unmistakably play the role of Lara Croft.
Emma Stone
There is no actress big enough to headline this movie, so it’s doomed from the start.
Lara Croft this IS the star, so you could ostensibly find the best actress (acting chops is all that counts and physicality, because all the stunts are CG or doubled anyway) and make the film unquestionably exciting (i.e. Taken).
A big star undercuts expectations, so that’s the wrong move. Kate Beckinsale was primarily an art house film actress when she first did Underworld, and hasn’t done any action-y films save for the first sequel, the upcoming sequel and the little seen Whiteout.
Mila Kunis could make it work, she’s earthy and exciting enough — and held her own in Book of Eli…
If she gained 10 pounds, I’d say Bitsie Tulloch (Quarterlife). Strong actress, gorgeous, just a bit thin.
Mila Kunis is good but TINY. Lara is tall.
They probably need to go with someone less-known to make this work. Otherwise, throw in the towel and leave it alone.
I think Taylor Cole would be great!
Abbie Cornish
Yup. They got on the map with First Snow. A small one.
Jessica Biel. She may lack Jolie’s charisma but her body is more that of an action star than Jolie’s.
An unknown
Kudos Flor! An unknown would be the way to go and garner what is now a tired franchise huge amounts of publicity, provided the makers can get over the mighty ‘meh’ factor. It’s not so much a reboot that’s needed as a damned good kicking!
As the story says, it’s hard enough to get a female led, action film to make money… let alone if they cast an unknown…
Why not just stick with Angelina?…. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.
Because Jolie isn’t interested in playing the role anymore. She’s been turning down offers for over 6 years. She said in 2007 that she just doesn’t have the time to devote to the training the way she did when she was 25. That’s when she only had 3 kids. Now she’s got 6 kids and is into writing and directing and still does tons of humanitarian work. I get tired just hearing about all the stuff going on in her life. In fact, I need a nap right now.
Clarification – I meant Jolie had 3 kids in 2007, not when she was 25.
Yeah but she did Salt and the Tourist. Maybe she decided to take a break from the kick ass Spy/Action hero shit I guess.
There’s only one who could play a sporty Lara Croft, full of action: Jessica Biel
Jaimie Alexander from Thor would be great. So would Angelina again!
Isn’t it obvious?
Olivia Wilde. She’s it.
KATEE SACKHOFF. She would rock the hell out of this. <3
Obvious answer is Rosie Huntington-Whitely especially given the fact that Lara is British. She’s one of the hottest women on the planet, has some boobs and will have had some action experience with TF3.
Summer Glau
Summer Glau is a show killer, she kills every show she is involved. So making her a movie killer would not help.
Katee Sackhoff
our 1 and only starbuck …Katee sackhoff #BSG
I agree…it should be Katee Sackhoff as she’s the baddest badass around!!
Daisy Fuentes
Just bring Angelina Jolie back.
Those writers could not even write a coloring book, let alone a feature film, and Cowboys and Aliens will be Crap.
Actually they wrote IRON MAN, and I’m pretty sure that turned out fairly well for Paramount and moviegoers alike. Same for Children of Men.
Cowboys was gang-banged by everyone in town, so I wouldn’t necessarly lay the blame at just their doorstep. The Transformers 2 writers also get credit on that one.
Gemma Arterton
My vote is for random hot chick!
My question is. Why reboot? I mean if Jolie was ideal roll, get her? or dont make one?