LaraCroft Tagged Articles at Cinematical

You know, I always thought that Lara Croft got a bum-rap on the big screen. When she should have been the love child of James Bond and Indiana Jones, what we ended up with was a bored Angelina Jolie pouting her way through half-baked plots. Now, we already knew that a 'reboot' was in the works, but it looks like there are going to be a lot of changes in store for Ms. Croft. During a press event for Terminator Salvation, producer Dan Lin spilled the beans that the Tomb Raider reboot will in fact, be a prequel. Lin told journalists, "... - it's a great origin story that we're going to tell. A very character-oriented I would say more realistic than the past Lara Croft movies."

According to Lin, casting for the role has yet to begin (now that Megan Fox is out of the running), but they are definitely looking for someone a little younger this time around. Whether the choice for a younger Croft is to capitalize on multiple flicks, or just to pander to the mall crowd, I couldn't say. But what I do know is that I think an adult Lara Croft is a much more exciting proposition than a precocious teen with a Nancy Drew complex -- and isn't it about time that we got some fully grown ladies fighting the good fight on the big screen again, anyway?

The project is still in the early stages of development, but Lin has warned fans that we might be getting a less 'active' Croft this time around, saying, "I would say it's like Terminator - character-driven action. I think for me the Lara Croft games and movies have gone a little too action-oriented. I wanted to have action, but with character." Now I might have only played a few of the Raider games, but seriously? When were those things about characters?

Tell us what you think about a young Lara Croft, and who you would like to see take over where Jolie left off.

I guess the best place to start would be from the beginning.

See, filmmaker Edgar Wright has been steadily photo-blogging his exploits on the set of his potentially (probably?) awesome Scott Pilgrim adaptation, revealing casting decisions by having his actors conceal their faces with portraits of their respective characters.

With a wink and nudge, Cinematical then 'exclusively revealed' that its own Elisabeth Rappe had been cast as the new face of Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider sequel/reboot.

Well, in a twist of meta-blog-a-go-go proportions, it appears that Wright himself has stepped up for the role, as indicated by this most recent casting announcement blitz-o-rama-tacular.

In a prepared statement, Rappe had the following to say: "I was genuinely looking forward to playing Lara Croft. I had put in hours of physical training, had the required plastic surgery, and had performed numerous sexual favors in order to secure the role. However, if the studio is looking to go in another direction, I understand. I wish Mr. Wright well -- I know he has better legs than I do, and I have no doubt he'll make a fantastic Tomb Raider."

Your move, Ed.

Today is a crazy day for exclusives here at Cinematical headquarters. Earlier our own Eric D. Snider shared with you a major inside scoop on what changes we should expect from this year's Oscars ceremony, and now we have something you Tomb Raider fans might wanna tune in for. Not long ago, we received an email with a subject line that read, simply, "I am the new Lara Croft." The image above -- which you can check out in larger form down below -- shows a mysterious actress holding an image of Lara Croft up to her eyes. Obviously this is totally post-worthy since she has, well, a pair of really sexy eyes ... but dammit if we can't figure out who she is.

Someone on our team guessed Jason Scwhartzman, but from what I know he's off shooting that Scott Pilgrim movie ... and, of course, he's a dude. I'm thinking Emily Blunt or Amy Adams, based on that sensual-but-oh-so-sweet look she gives the camera. Last we heard on the Tomb Raider front, Warners was rebooting the franchise and Megan Fox's name was being thrown around. I don't think that's Fox in the image above (even though she looks foxy -- heh, get it?), but it's possible. Check out a larger version below and weigh in with your thoughts ...

Who is that mysterious female?

Boys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the latest Megan Fox rumor has been shot down by the actress herself.

Latino Review first brought the rumor (which apparently originated in Spain) that Megan Fox was in line to revive the Tomb Raider franchise. It seems only natural, since Fox is slowly becoming Angelina 2.0.

However, the rumor machine was wrong again, just like when Fox was reportedly set to become Wonder Woman. io9 contacted her spokesperson, who denied Fox was involved with Tomb Raider in any way, shape, or form.

I breathe a sigh of relief at this, as Lara Croft is a character rather near and dear to my heart. I've cherished a secret hope they would revive the films (and even wrote about it, which I'm kind of embarrassed about in retrospect). Fox may be hot, but she's no Lara. And if io9 is actually going to champion her for the part, then I'll start my own grassroots campaign and champion Rhona Mitra. Not only was she the original Lara Croft model (here's some photos, you're welcome), but she's racking up a respectable B-movie action career. The best part? She's actually British, so no wonky accents.

Anyway, I sincerely doubt there will ever be another Tomb Raider film (and I don't even know if there ever should be)
but Fox's fan base is such that we must report all rumors and rumblings. Meanwhile, here's her gallery. You're welcome.

One of these days we may end up suffering the existence of another Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie. It may even have Angelina Jolie reprising the title role. Unfortunately for the few who actually like the video game adaptation and its sequel, this isn't yet the day. But it is a day to celebrate if you're a Lara Croft fan in general. The character is now getting her own online animated series. The show is called Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider and it will 'air' on Turner Broadcasting's GameTap broadband channel. Also, each episode will be written and drawn by a different big-name talent, like Jim Lee, Warren Ellis and Aeon Flux's Peter Chung. I don't know if the series' creators attempted to snag Angelina Jolie for the gig, but instead of her Minnie Driver will be voicing the character.

Yeah, poor Minnie Driver. To think ten years ago she was my ideal girlfriend thanks to Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting. Nowadays it isn't easy to find her in any movie role, let alone an ideal girlfriend role. But taking a part in an internet cartoon is pretty low. Can't John Cusack make a sequel to Grosse Pointe Blank already? Or couldn't Matt Damon and Ben Affleck write a part for her in that new script they may be working on? I will admit that I love Driver's voice, which can also be heard in the English-language version of Princess Mononoke, as Brooke Shields in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut and in the upcoming Simpsons: The Movie. So, I'll probably check out the series, at least for a listen. The first episode premieres on Tuesday with subsequent episodes premiering in the days following.

He may not be that great a director, but Barry Sonnenfeld is good enough for comedic sci-fi/fantasy fare like the Men in Black and Addams Family movies. When he doesn't have cool production design or special effects to fall back on, he tends to deliver worthless titles like Big Trouble and RV. Of course, he has exceptions: Wild Wild West was an awful effects-driven pic and Get Shorty was a great film without any fantastic elements. Still, we must be thankful that his next project deals with the supernatural. Based on the myth of Pandora's Box, the movie is simply titled The Box, and is about a directionless college graduate who is tricked into opening the infamous container, unleashing the evil out unto the world.

The script is being written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, who penned Pooh's Heffalump Movie (as well as its direct-to-video Halloween-set sequel) and has worked on scripts for other animated pics, including The Jungle Book 2, Tarzan II and Lion King 1½. For the future he's also written an animated version of The Nutty Professor, which features the voice of Jerry Lewis rather than Eddie Murphy, and the animated sci-fi film Terra. Although The Box will be a live-action "summer event film", it is likely to have a lot of the same family-friendliness as his 'toon work (though he also wrote the erotic thriller, Bare Witness). Let's just hope it is isn't as childish as The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, which is also a modern version of the Pandora myth, or as silly as Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which deals with the box as a threatening archaeological find. It is surprising that there hasn't been a great update of the myth, actually. The Box won't be it; but it should at least be as entertaining as any Sonnenfeld effort. The director is still currently linked to the Zach Braff-co-scripted Andrew Harry's Meadow as his next project, but The Box could be his first priority, as 20th Century Fox is fast-tracking its production.