Tomb Raider Sequel Gets a Director and Release Date

Tomb Raider fans were glad to hear that Alicia Vikander was getting to return for a Tomb Raider sequel, but not much else was known about the film until today. Now the film has a director in Ben Wheatley, and not only that but fans also have a release date for the movie (via Deadline), which will hit theaters on March 19th, 2021. Amy Jump is writing the script for the film while Graham King is producing the movie under the GK Films banner.

Wheatley is known for his work on films like Kill List and Free Fire, projects that he worked on with Jump. Wheatley will be taking over directing duties from Roar Uthaug, who helmed the original Tomb Raider. Production is set to begin early next year, which will give Wheatley time to finish up post-production work on his current product Rebecca.

The Tomb Raider reboot was produced on a budget of $94 million and ended up pulling in $58 million domestically. Worldwide it brought in $274 million, and even though it was heavily advertised it looks to have made a profitable amount for the studio. The first film was based on the Crystal Dynamics reboot of the franchise, which has brought the franchise and the character of Lara Croft back to critical acclaim over its last three titles, which included Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and last year's Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

It remains to be seen if it will take after Rise of the Tomb Raider as closely as the first film took on the original reboot, or if it will look to fill in some gaps between those stories and create something a bit different. Either way, we're stoked to see Vikander back as Croft, whenever she hits the big screen once more.

Are you excited for the new Tomb Raider, and what do you want to see from it? Let us know in the comments or feel free to hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Tomb Raider!