The long awaited Tomb Raider game reboot is finally upon us, and it’s garnered extremely positive reviews thus far.
It was a title that was long ripe for a redo, and it looks like it was pulled off successfully. Now for the obvious question on everyone’s mind: Will there be a Tomb Raider movie reboot as well?
Apparently there is one in the works, although the new edition of the game is pretty cinematic when you look at it as well. While the video game movie genre isn’t teeming with masterpieces, the first Tomb Raider film may arguably be the best one yet. But as we all know, there’s always much room for improvement in big screen game adaptations. With the reboot of the game, another stab at a big screen version could go a long way to redeeming the franchise, and video game movies as well.
According to the Guardian and CVG, Crystal Dynamics is working in tandem with GK Films to make another Tomb Raider flick. GK Films is the company that produced The Departed, Rango and Hugo, and as Darrell Gallagher, the head of Crystal Dynamics, said, “They are working from the new take that we’ve given them. It’s a good partnership. We’re seeing the changes through the same lens.”
Gallagher added, “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.” Actually, it couldn’t be like the initial Tomb Raider films because the reboot of the game gives us a younger Lara Croft as she’s growing and making her way through her crazy adventures.
While the new Tomb Raider has received some bad marks for violence, overall the game has gotten very good notices overall, so a new Lara Croft movie seems to have a lot of potential as well. It’s also a trip to realize that as Variety reminds us, Tomb Raider is seventeen years old. As Gallagher said, “Seventeen years is a long life for videogames.”
It’s good to see Lara get a new lease on life thanks to this game reboot, and perhaps she’ll get a second chance on the big screen as well. It could also come in time for a rush of good video game movies to hit theaters. At least we hope the ones in development now will be on the money, and finally put the years of Super Mario Bros and Street Fighter with Jean-Claude Van Damme behind us for good.
