Meg 2: The Trench Director Explains His Tomb Raider Movie Falling Apart

Movies have always been known for being a complicated business, as projects can be announced as being in development, only for those plans to completely dissolve, with the coronavirus pandemic seeing even more industry complications over the last few years. High-Rise and Free Fire director Ben Wheatley, for example, was previously announced as helming a Tomb Raider movie, only for that project to fall apart. The director recently confirmed that his Tomb Raider was one of many projects that was abandoned during the pandemic, though also admitted that getting to helm Meg 2: The Trench meant he got to scratch a similar filmmaking itch with a globe-spanning adventure.

"To do something like The Meg, which is this super global thing, to play out to that audience is such a privilege," Wheatley shared with Total Film, per GamesRadar, about what drew him to the project. In response to whether this would have been his goal with Tomb Raider, Wheatley confirmed, "Very much so ... Basically, they got stuffed by COVID-19. We were really close to doing it, and then it all just fell apart, as everything did. But [Meg 2] came across my desk, and I was like, 'Oh.' I didn't even hesitate, you know? It was like [Netflix's remake of Alfred Hitchcock's] Rebecca: why wouldn't you do it?"

Angelina Jolie starred as Lara Croft in two Tomb Raider films, while 2018 saw Alicia Vikander step into the role of the iconic adventurer. Wheatley's film was originally meant to be a sequel to that outing, only for those plans to fall apart. Once Wheatley departed the project, Misha Green stepped in, but by 2022, rights to the franchise had changed hands, resulting in both Vikander and Green parting ways from the franchise.

Not all hope is lost for the live-action future of the series, however, as Amazon Studios solidified a deal that will not only allow for a new film to be developed for the franchise, but also a TV series. The goal is reportedly to craft an interconnected series of stories, with the games, TV show, and movie all affording crossover opportunities. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is currently developing the TV series.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of the Tomb Raider franchise. Meg 2: The Trench is slated to hit theaters on August 4th.

Do you wish Wheatley had been able to develop his Tomb Raider? Let us know in the comments!