Tomb Raider Tagged Articles at Cinematical

With yesterday's Wachkowski Bros / Superman rumor came the inevitable speculation as to who would be the man to fill out Superman's underoos. Would Brandon Routh return? Does a reboot mean he's out, and someone like Jon Hamm might be in? It might just be my imagination, but it seems like there's a reluctance to see Routh get the boot. Fandom has been mixed on his performance in Superman Returns but hell, fandom is mixed on Returns in general. As much as we might want a fresh start, it seems a bit unfair and strange to recast Superman already.

But what is the time frame on recasting? From the general hysteria that surrounded the Angelina Jolie-less Tomb Raider reboot, I'd say the general public feels like the actor or actress in question ought to be dead and buried. (I'm not talking about the Cinematical readers, who handled it in an objective manner. I'm thinking of regular news outlets who breathlessly announced "Jolie booted from Tomb Raider?!" As if she was weeping copiously over losing her twin semi-automatics, and not racking up Changeling nominations.)

Yet only a mild disappointment has followed rumors that Edward Norton might be replaced as The Incredible Hulk -- though we were all pretty shocked that they were remaking/recasting the character so soon after Eric Bana went green. Maybe a general numbness has set in when it comes to Bruce Banner, though, because fandom seems to simmer with a threat of violence should Christopher Nolan recast the Joker.

What would the reaction be if they recast Wolverine? Tony Stark? Would it be safe to recast the Fantastic Four?

It's a question worth putting out there. Which characters (and it doesn't have to be comic book related -- any franchise will do for the discussion. Throw in Axel Foley or Jack Sparrow if you want.) can safely be recast? Is there a time limit? Does it depend purely on the performance? Is any character truly untouchable?

This week, we have two properties being rebooted/remade/whatever by Warner Bros: He-Man and Tomb Raider.

As an avid Tomb Raider fan, I'm naturally quite intrigued by the prospect. (And kind of creeped out -- I mean, I did do a whole Geek Beat expressing this very wish. What are the odds it would come true?) While I recognize that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the character, I was really surprised at the level of disdain and hostility that followed the news across the Internet. You would have sworn it was the second coming of Ultraviolet. I firmly believe Lara can work onscreen (particularly if they're not writing it around what stunts Angelina Jolie would like to do), and would love if she could be the action heroine so many of ladies crave.

Meanwhile, you've got He-Man. At the time of writing this (wee hours of the morning, people), the Internet is rather silent on John Stevenson's addition as director (as per Latino Review and Variety), so I can't accurately judge the level of enthusiasm. But given the response to LR's script review and ongoing attention to the project, I'm guessing that the response will be a Transformers-like wave of nostalgic enthusiasm. I'm not slamming it because, hey, I rocked a She-Ra costume as a wee lass.

But, what gives? Why is He-Man something to be wound up over, and Lara Croft a girl to sneer at? Neither hail from Shakespearean material, after all, and both appeal to our most shallow entertainment instincts. (Guns! Swords! Adventure!) Why the marked preference? Was Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life really worse than Masters of the Universe?

I'm pitting them both against each other as a fun Friday exercise. Which character reboot excites you more? Which one will make the better film? And for heaven's sake, why?

The hype surrounding Indiana Jones' return is beginning to subside; now come the recriminations and fanatic defenses of the movie, but the thrill is gone. And before Lucas and Spielberg get bored and confirm a fifth Indiana Jones movie, I'd like to take this moment to offer up another reboot to Paramount.

It is time to bring back Lara Croft.

Last week, she came up again and again on the list of Indy rip-offs, which is a sad state of affairs. She's come down in the world since her 1996 debut. Croft used to be everywhere – magazine covers, t-shirts, posters; she may have originated as a blatant borrowing of Indy, but she quickly took on a pop culture life of her own. From her aqua tank-top to her twin automatics, Lara quickly escaped her progenitor's shadow, and very nearly approaches the iconic status of Indiana himself. While much of it was undoubtedly due to her impressive, er, attributes, I would also like to believe that people flocked to embrace her because she is cool and revolutionary. Marion Ravenwood and Indiana Jones combined, but with better weaponry.