Warner Bros. and MGM have dated Alicia Vikander’s “Tomb Raider” for March 16, 2018.
Vikander became attached to the role of Lara Croft in April.
MGM and Warner Bros are co-producing the film. They acquired the rights from GK Films which had previously purchased the film rights in 2011 from Square Enix Ltd. Graham King is serving as producer.
The original “Tomb Raider” game was published in 1996 by the London-based video game company Eidos and went on to become one of the most successful video games of the time. Eidos is now part of an international interactive entertainment group, Square Enix.
The Tomb Raider franchise has sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Paramount’s two films starring Angelina Jolie as British archaeologist Lara Croft were released in 2001 and 2003 and grossed $432 million worldwide.
Vikander won an Oscar for her performance in “The Danish Girl,” and also garnered attention for her performance in “Ex Machina.” Coming up, the actress has the next movie in the Jason Bourne franchise and “The Light Between Oceans” opposite Michael Fassbender.
“Tomb Raider” is the first film dated on March 16, 2018. Speculation previously emerged that the studio was going to open its DC Comics title “The Flash” on that date, but Warners has yet to set an official date for the superhero movie.
Warner Bros. also announced Thursday that it had dated “Unforgettable,” a dramatic thriller that stars Katherine Heigl and Rosario Dawson for April 21, 2017.