Tomb Raider movie reboot sets writer and director

Lara Croft's gaming adventures aren't the only element of Tomb Raider about to get a reboot - a cinematic refresh has been in the works for more than five years, though progress has been slow. Well now the esteemed archaeologist-turned-survivalist is edging closer to that big screen return, with a director and writer now attached to the project. Norwegian director Roar Uthaug will be guiding Lara's next adventure, while relative newcomer Geneva Robertson-Dworet is set to write. The film will be developed by movie studios MGM, Warner Bros., and GK Films. Although neither director nor writer are household names, Uthaug impressed audiences with Scandinavian disaster movieThe Wave, showing a real talent for capturing the sweeping vistas and impressive real-world locations Lara might visit. Robertson-Dworet is fast making a name for herself in Hollywood too, set to pen the fifth Transformers movie, and developing sci-fi scripts for producers Roland Emmerich and Jerry Bruckheimer. Plot details are scarce at present, but the new film is set to tell the story Lara's first adventure. Whether this means an on-film remake of Square Enix's 2013 series reboot remains to be seen, but Rhianna Pratchett's script for the game certainly offered enough cinematic moments to aid the transition.The new movie has been in the works since at least 2011, when GK Films picked up the film rights to Tomb Raider, placing its development in rough synchronicity with the new games' continuity. How close the two hew is unknown, but with the very positive reception to both "New Lara" releases so far, it's likely Square Enix will want to maintain some connection. Angelina Jolie previously appeared as Lara Croft in two Tomb Raider movies, the first in 2001 and a sequel, The Cradle of Life, in 2003. Both were poorly received by critics and audiences, but did respectably at the box office, making $274 million and $156 million globally.