MGM Exits Tomb Raider Franchise, Alicia Vikander To Be Recast In Lead Role

Lara Croft’s future on the big screen has taken a sharp turn, as MGM no longer has the rights to Tomb Raider and Alicia Vikander is no longer playing the role. THR reports that the rights to the franchise have reverted back to producer Graham King and his company GK Films, with a bidding war starting for the rights to the IP.

MGM produced the Vikander-led Tomb Raider reboot, which was distributed by Warner Bros. in 2018. Despite garnering middling reviews, the film grossed $274.7 million worldwide from a $90 million budget. MGM had been developing a sequel to that film since 2019, but that film is now dead and Vikander will not reprise the role.

MGM’s involvement in the franchise came from a 2013 deal with GK Films, who had picked up the film rights from Square Enbix in 2011. MGM was recently itself acquired by Amazon and has been in the midst of an adjustment period as a result. The studio did not comment on THR’s story.

According to the outlet, one source described the bidding process, which began last week, as a “feeding frenzy” as companies look to lock down known franchises. It is not known which studios are involved.